From West Africa to the City of Brotherly Love

Mouphtau Yarou impresses at Primetime Shootout, next stop 'Nova


By Matt Whitfield

Villanova has perhaps the brightest outlook of any team in the Big East conference. Currently sitting at 11-4 this season with talented underclassmen such as Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher leading the charge of late, next year’s squad will add highly touted Duke transfer Taylor King as well as a recruiting class rated in everyone’s top five of incoming classes. It would not be a shock to many if Villanova didn’t make a serious tournament run next year.

Headlining the recruiting class is soft spoken, 6-9 big man from Montrose Christian in Mouphatau Yarou. Yarou, who does not play like your typical 6’9 player, recently came to the United States from Benin, West Africa. After his team’s victory over Shabazz in the 2009 Primetime Shootout, Yarou caught up with NBE and discussed the future and what it’s like for him now living in America.

Yarou committed to Jay Wright’s program and signed a letter of intent back in November, but that didn’t come without the nudging of Montrose teammate and fellow ‘Nova signee Isaiah Armwood, who influenced his decision to sign with the Philadelphia-area program. Yarou was said to have offers from other big time programs including Connecticut, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and St. John’s. In the end, however, Yarou choose Villanova because he felt it was the total package, mixing both good academics and basketball. Yarou says he’s hasn’t talked to his other fellow recruits except for his teammate; however, he says he has communicated with future teammates Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. Yarou, who has shown to be a tremendous rebounding machine, told NBE he feels he can bring more defense and rebounds to next year’s squad.

For all the hype and fanfare Yarou just arrived in the United States a little over a year ago in January of 2008. He is still adjusting telling NBE, “It’s really hard because everything is new for me. The language, because I speak French in my country, and the weather, the food, everything is different.”

While he enjoys American food saying his favorite dish is pasta and shrimp, he says the basketball couldn’t be any more different in the two countries. Yarou stated to NBE that, “here it is more physical,” and that, “[basketball] here is better than Africa.”

Despite being in the country for such a short period, Yarou speaks English fairly well and speaks the international language of basketball even better showing people he is not a timid big man on the court. Yarou, who led his team with 21 points, countless rebounds, and earned MVP honors in the win over Shabazz, told NBE he would like to be more comfortable on offense and improve his defense. For a player who calls Kevin Garnett his favorite NBA player, and is as tenacious as he is on the court, Yarou should hold his own next year, and eventually be a force to be reckoned with as he adjusts to the American game and grows into his large frame.