Mouphataou Yarou is a 6'10" power forward and a member of the royal family in the Republic of Benin, which is on the western coast of Africa. In 2009, though, Yarou will be thousands of miles away on the Main Line in PA. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The United States of Jay Wright. Villanova University.
Yesterday Yarou committed verbally to the Wildcats.
Besides Villanova, the top schools vying for Yarou included UCLA, Connecticut and Kansas. Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and a few others were also in the mix. Yarou gives the Wildcats a coveted 2009 recruiting class, arguably one of the finest in the country. The big man joins 6'1" Maalik Wayns from Roman Catholic in Philly, and also 6'8" Isaiah Armwood from Montrose Christian in Rockville, Maryland. And don't forget Taylor King, who transferred to Villanova from Duke.
Last season Yarou played at a military academy in Virginia, but this season he's enrolled at Montrose Christian, where he'll play alongside Armood. Draft Express describes Yarou as a "post player with a solid build and an excellent frame. He has good size for the power forward position and a very nice wingspan. He runs the floor fairly well and is a solid all-around athlete. He's not a freak like some of his African counterparts, but he can certainly jump and has nice body control as well."
Yarou hasn't been playing basketball very long, and it was only recently that scouts and coaches started paying close enough attention. By then it was too late. He chose Villanova because Jay Wright was the first coach to express interest. Mouphataou Yarou... Villanova Wildcat.
What's next for Jay Wright? According to Dick Weiss at the New York Daily News: "They just had 6-10 Aaric Murray of Glen Mills, Pa. -- the best post player in that state -- on campus and we expect them to be right there now with Kansas for 6-5 Dom Cheek, a Top 5 prospect nationally from St. Anthony's who was also a co-MVP at Boost Mobile."
Yesterday Yarou committed verbally to the Wildcats.
Besides Villanova, the top schools vying for Yarou included UCLA, Connecticut and Kansas. Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and a few others were also in the mix. Yarou gives the Wildcats a coveted 2009 recruiting class, arguably one of the finest in the country. The big man joins 6'1" Maalik Wayns from Roman Catholic in Philly, and also 6'8" Isaiah Armwood from Montrose Christian in Rockville, Maryland. And don't forget Taylor King, who transferred to Villanova from Duke.
Last season Yarou played at a military academy in Virginia, but this season he's enrolled at Montrose Christian, where he'll play alongside Armood. Draft Express describes Yarou as a "post player with a solid build and an excellent frame. He has good size for the power forward position and a very nice wingspan. He runs the floor fairly well and is a solid all-around athlete. He's not a freak like some of his African counterparts, but he can certainly jump and has nice body control as well."
Yarou hasn't been playing basketball very long, and it was only recently that scouts and coaches started paying close enough attention. By then it was too late. He chose Villanova because Jay Wright was the first coach to express interest. Mouphataou Yarou... Villanova Wildcat.
What's next for Jay Wright? According to Dick Weiss at the New York Daily News: "They just had 6-10 Aaric Murray of Glen Mills, Pa. -- the best post player in that state -- on campus and we expect them to be right there now with Kansas for 6-5 Dom Cheek, a Top 5 prospect nationally from St. Anthony's who was also a co-MVP at Boost Mobile."
Original Story:
