6'8" four-star forward Kassoum Yakwe has committed to St. John's University. This AAU season, while playing for the PSA Cardinals head coach Terrence "Munch" Williams, Yakwe was the leading shot-blocker on Nike's vaunted EYBL circuit. The hyper-athletic forward hopes to rejuvenate the Red Storm program, while working under the tutelage of new head coach Chris Mullin.

6'8" Four-Star St. John's Commitment Kassoum Yakwe, Photo by Andrew Slater in Houston, TX

Although a number of programs offered or showed recent interest, including Maryland and Indiana, the decision ultimately came down to his two final schools: Oregon and St. John's, both of which the defensive standout visited over the past two weeks. "The visits helped and I also saw the vision of the school. The vision and the program that they had for me helped me to decide," said Yakwe.

Although born and raised in the capitol city of Bamako, Mali, Yakwe felt he found a second home in New York through his time at Our Savior New American in suburban Centereach, NY. The newest St. John's commit clarified, "Both schools did a great job, but the biggest thing is I felt like I was at home at St. John's. I wanted to stay close to home. New York is home right now."

In the end, proximity, his friendship with a former Our Savior New American teammate, and his long-standing relationships with a current and former coach were the deciding factors. "Coach (Steve) Lav(in) did a great job of recruiting me for three years. He deserves credit for helping me to learn about the school. My friend and teammate Felix Balamou has been great about helping me know what it's like at St. John's. I built a really good relationship with the coaching staff since April. Matt (Abdelmissah) has been the lead recruiter and he's been recruiting me since Iowa State. Now, when he came back to New York, Matt's been recruiting me to St. John's. He's one of the main reasons why I chose St. John's, but I also liked the facilities and I wanted to stay local. Those are the main reasons," added Kassoum Yakwe.

St. John's assistant Matt Abdelmissah, who graduated from St. John's, spent the past five years in Ames, Iowa working as an assistant for then Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg. As an assistant at Iowa State, Abdelmissah established a reputation for acquiring talent and, over the past year, was in hot pursuit of Our Savior teammates, Mali natives, and close friends: Cheick Diallo and Kassoum Yakwe. "Matt was the lead recruiter. He knows how to establish a connection with people," said the St. John's commitment.

While Kassoum had established himself as one of the premier shot-blockers, averaging five blocks against Nike's premier AAU teams at last month's Peach Jam, his offense has been a work in progress. "I want to work on my shooting and my skill set. The main thing is working on my overall skill set," said the former Our Savior New American forward.

St. John's coach Chris Mullin, one of the NBA's greatest shooters, helped seal the deal by assuring the Malian forward that he can help the southpaw improve his shot during his time at St. John's. Yakwe said, "I liked Coach Mullin because he was a Hall of Famer. He's a straightforward guy and he makes that come across. We've been talking a lot about working on my shot. Coach Mullin told me that he was one of the top shooters in the NBA and that he could help me with mine."

When he arrives on the Queens campus, Yakwe believes he can immediately provide much needed defense to the young Red Storm squad. "My strength is as a defensive player. I can play defense, rebound, and run. I block shots and do those three things. That's my strength now and down the line, I hope to be a two-way player. Right now, I've been focused on being as good a defensive player as I can be."

For his defensive performance throughout the season with the PSA Cardinals on the ultra-competitive EYBL circuit, Kassoum Yakwe was named as the Defensive Player of the Year. The 6'8" forward said, "This AAU season, I wanted to show that I am the best defensive player in the whole nation. I know what I can do and I know I am one of the top players in the country."

Mali Native Kassoum Yakwe at Our Savior New American Gym, Photo by Andrew Slater in Centereach, NY

At 6'8" with good lateral quickness, Kassoum had been a versatile forward for Our Savior New American, where he averaged fourteen points, and with the PSA Cardinals. Coach Mullin has told him to be prepared to play multiple positions in the Big East, which appealed to the four-star forward. "They said that my position will be based on the rotation, but that I would get a chance to play the three, the four, and even five," said Yakwe.

While the transplanted New Yorker can be a tenacious defender, he is quick to note for the St. John's faithful that his personality is far different off of the court. "I am a strong Believer and I'm a very shy person, but I'm a fun person to be with. I like to laugh and I like to make people laugh."

Kassoum Yakwe is excited to be a part of the new core of players, including Federico Mussini, Tariq Owens, and Marcus Lovett, Jr., that coach Chris Mullin hopes to build the foundation of his program around and galvanize the Johnny faithful. "I want to bring the atmosphere back. I want to bring the fans back. I want to do something good for New York," promised Yakwe.

While Kassoum Yakwe has decided that St. John's is definitely the university that he will attend, there has been no final decision made as to whether he will enter the Queens campus in the class of 2015 or remain in the class of 2016.

Prior to his college announcement, St. John's had received 92% of the votes in the 247Sports' crystal ball picks. In addition to landing a four-star commitment from Kassoum Yakwe to provide frontcourt help, St. John's is the overwhelming favorite (91% of the current crystal ball picks) to land 5'11" four-star point guard Shamorie Ponds of Brooklyn's Jefferson High School.