Top-20 Tounde Yessoufou says he's starting to think visits

Tounde Yessoufou is the No. 12 player in the 2025 On3 150. The 6-foot-6 wing from Santa Maria (CA) St. Joseph averaged 15.6 points this summer, playing up in age with Team WhyNot on Nike’s EYBL 17U Circuit.

“I play hard, attacking the basket, creating contact,” Yessoufou told On3. “I play defense hard, I’m strong, I’m athletic. I’ll watch a lot of Jimmy Butler and Anthony Edwards. They look like me, and I feel like I can relate my game a lot to them.”

On3 caught up with Tounde Yessoufou after a recent live viewing to talk about his recruitment.

Yessoufou talks schools

“I’m hearing a lot from Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, and Washington,” Yessoufou said.

Kansas: “They came to watch me play at Section 7, and then they watched me at Peach Jam. They told me that I’m a beast and they love how hard I play. That fits what type of player they like to recruit.”

Arkansas: “They had three players get drafted this year, so they have NBA players. Coach Muss (Eric Musselman) and I talk a lot. He is honest with me. He tells me what I should work on and what I am doing well.”

Arizona: “Their program is good, one of the best teams in the country every year. They play hard, and they always compete. Communicating with the coaches is awesome. The team plays fast, they play my style, and I like watching them play.”

Yessoufou talks visits

I’m looking to set up official visits with Washington and UCLA right now,” Yessoufou said.

UCLA: “I like their school and their program. They play a lot like how I like to play. They play hard, and they play a lot of defense. That is one thing that I really love. It’s a good school, and I’m looking forward to visiting that campus and seeing what they’re all about.”

Washington: “I love the coach, (Will) Conroy. He has the experience playing in the NBA. He and I talk a lot, and he has helped me with what I need to work on, like my mid-range shooting. I like him.”

In his words

“The big thing for me is going on these visits will be a relationship,” Yessoufou said. “I’m going to look at how the coaches communicate with me. I’ll look at how the campus is set up and what kind of facilities they have for athletes. I can play the two, three, or four, so I can fit in a lot of positions, but I like to play fast.

“I want to have a ‘plan b’ in place, and I want to study business when I go to school. So, I want to see what all they can offer me when it comes to my education and school.”