Class of 2011 Intro: Achraf Yacoubou
For a player ranked in the top-40 nationally in the class of 2011, there is conspicuously little information readily available on Achraf Yacoubou. Zero stories on Scout.com, not much more on Rivals.com.
Of course, that hasn't slowed the constant attention Yacoubou is receiving from colleges across the country.
His current list includes Connecticut, Villanova, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Rutgers.
"All of them [have offered] except for Florida," the 6-4, 200-lb. Yacoubou said.
Yacoubou turned heads throughout the spring and summer, playing at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, the Nike Hoop Jamboree, the King City Classic and a couple of other events. He couldn't play with Team Odom/Rich Soil in Las Vegas because of a sprained ankle, but his stock is still on the rise.
"I'm up there," Yacoubou said when asked how he compares to other nationally-ranked players. "I'm good enough. I work hard and I think they notice that. I feel like I'm one of the best because I work hard. I'm tough, I'm not afraid of competition."
Yacoubou, who said his ankle is getting better, touts his defense and shooting ability as his best assets.
"I need to work on my ball-handling," he said. "I mean, my handle got better, but I need to work on it more to get to a point guard-handle."
One place where Yacoubou could have picked up a few pointers on playing the lead guard position would be the Chris Paul camp, occurring this past week in North Carolina.
Yacoubou received an invitation to the event, but declined to attend.
"I wanted to take off and work [on my game] since I played in so many events," he said.
This season, Yacoubou will head back to Long Island Lutheran -- sans Tobias Harris, who decided to attend Half Hollow Hills West, a public school. Still, Yacoubou is confident they stack up with the rest of New York pretty well.
"I want to win another state championship," he said.
Before the upcoming school season, Yacoubou wants to take visits to Connecticut, Villanova and Kentucky. He has already seen the campuses of both UConn and 'Nova.
"I'm looking for a place when I can really learn," said Yacoubou, who wants to get a business degree. "I want a big campus and a team that can get me to the next level."
Although he said that there is no timetable for a decision and he seems a long way from narrowing his list, there are two conferences that stand out in Yacoubou's mind.
"I mostly like the Big East and the ACC," he said. "The Big East is a tough conference and very competitive. And the ACC is the same thing, just a little more up-tempo."
Of course, that hasn't slowed the constant attention Yacoubou is receiving from colleges across the country.
His current list includes Connecticut, Villanova, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Rutgers.
"All of them [have offered] except for Florida," the 6-4, 200-lb. Yacoubou said.
Yacoubou turned heads throughout the spring and summer, playing at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, the Nike Hoop Jamboree, the King City Classic and a couple of other events. He couldn't play with Team Odom/Rich Soil in Las Vegas because of a sprained ankle, but his stock is still on the rise.
"I'm up there," Yacoubou said when asked how he compares to other nationally-ranked players. "I'm good enough. I work hard and I think they notice that. I feel like I'm one of the best because I work hard. I'm tough, I'm not afraid of competition."
Yacoubou, who said his ankle is getting better, touts his defense and shooting ability as his best assets.
"I need to work on my ball-handling," he said. "I mean, my handle got better, but I need to work on it more to get to a point guard-handle."
One place where Yacoubou could have picked up a few pointers on playing the lead guard position would be the Chris Paul camp, occurring this past week in North Carolina.
Yacoubou received an invitation to the event, but declined to attend.
"I wanted to take off and work [on my game] since I played in so many events," he said.
This season, Yacoubou will head back to Long Island Lutheran -- sans Tobias Harris, who decided to attend Half Hollow Hills West, a public school. Still, Yacoubou is confident they stack up with the rest of New York pretty well.
"I want to win another state championship," he said.
Before the upcoming school season, Yacoubou wants to take visits to Connecticut, Villanova and Kentucky. He has already seen the campuses of both UConn and 'Nova.
"I'm looking for a place when I can really learn," said Yacoubou, who wants to get a business degree. "I want a big campus and a team that can get me to the next level."
Although he said that there is no timetable for a decision and he seems a long way from narrowing his list, there are two conferences that stand out in Yacoubou's mind.
"I mostly like the Big East and the ACC," he said. "The Big East is a tough conference and very competitive. And the ACC is the same thing, just a little more up-tempo."
posted by Jeff at 12:00 PM
2 Comments:
Great to see another NY'er on the rise. He'll be getting much more coverage by the end of this season.
The right players help in the odds of winning.
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