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Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 2691034, member: 488"] The DO/Yakwe comparisons are baseless. DO was a body who took undue hell from the fan base because he played for somebody that insisted on playing him at the expense of better options. It wasn't just the fact that his numbers at Cornell were underwhelming, it's the fact that his game logs demonstrated no evidence that he could play against high major competition. You look at Yakwe, and it's the exact opposite. He played in an elite conference all three years and led that conference in blocked shots as a freshman. That same season, he put 14, 7, and 5 on a loaded Xavier team, went for 16, 15, and 4 against a Seton Hall team that won the Big East Tournament, he scored 15 points in 23 minutes (in a win) against a Syracuse team that went to the final four, and he went for 9, 11, and 6 against a decent Marquette squad. There are more. It's very rare for a player that talented to regress that much over the course of three seasons without some circumstantial variables factoring in. One of those variables is simple: Tariq Owens is better than he is and transferred in from Tennessee just in time to supplant Yakwe as he was entering his sophomore season. Other variables, like the addition of ball-dominant guards like Shamorie Ponds, likely contributed as well. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he battled injuries over that time - even subtle, seemingly inconsequential physical ailments can tilt the scales when you're talking about 19 and 20 year olds. I'm trying not to overstate the significance. This is still a fringe rotation player from a meh St. John's team that appears to be a poor rebounder and a zero on offense. A couple years ago, we had a guy who posted those same numbers he did as a freshman, except for far better teams at a far more efficient clip. And some people couldn't wait for him to leave. But this is a player with a pulse. This is a player that you take a flier on, not only because he has talent, but also because he adds a dimension to the team that was lacking before. Neither Carlton nor Cobb are scaring anybody at the rim, and in a sport where compiling skill sets that complement one another is so vital, Yakwe brings an elite level skill to the table that great coaches can scheme around. He finished 10th in America in block percentage as a freshman. Multiply 350 something teams by 13 scholarships and you get a sense of what kind of company he keeps. The fact that he finished 6th in the Big East in consecutive years in box plus/minus doesn't hurt, either. That's one spot ahead of Kris Dunn, six spots ahead of Angel Delgado, and two spots behind Mikal Bridges. Traditionally, that hasn't been a list you wind up on by accident, even if you can quibble with the methodology. I haven't been over the moon with the recent additions, mostly because I think we're closer to being nationally relevant than most believe, but there's no question the team has gotten a lot better over the last couple days. All we need now is for one guy or two to make a leap they weren't supposed to, and the program is in business. That's about all you can ask for. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach