Top-15 recruit Tounde Yessoufou down to 6 schools

Tounde Yessoufou, On3’s No. 11 overall recruit in the 2025 class, has narrowed his list of schools down to six, he told On3. Moving forward, the  6-foot-5 four-star small forward out of St. Joseph High School (CA) will consider Arizona State, Baylor, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, and USC.

He previously considered Arizona, Tennessee, UCLA, and Washington.

Out of his finalists, Yessoufou has completed official visits with Baylor and USC. He will head to Arizona State this weekend, with trips to UConn (9/21), Kansas (10/5), and Kentucky (10/11) scheduled.

Yessoufou talks programs involved

In a previous interview with On3’s Jamie Shaw, Yessoufou discussed several of the programs involved in his recruitment.

UCONN: “Championships man. Winning matters to me, and every kind of win is big. What they have done to win twice is impressive. Their coach has been doing a great job over there. He is tough mentally, every time I have spoken with him on the phone you can tell he is super wired and he is super efficient with how tough you have to be to keep winning. Everyone wants to beat you if you’re a champion, but they just stand right there and have a game plan for everybody. I just like the way Coach (Dan) Hurley puts the winning mentality on all of his players.”

KANSAS: “I’ve been talking a lot with Coach (Kurtis) Townsend. He’s a great guy, one of the guys who has really recruited me the most honestly. Seeing Bill Self coming to my Section 7 games, twice. I had never seen him in person, so it meant a lot for me to see the head coach to take the time to come and watch me. Obviously, he is one of the great coaches in basketball, too and the atmosphere is great there. So I am excited to get to the campus and see what the relationship is like with the team.”

KENTUCKY: “My relationship has been really good with Kentucky. Mark Pope, every time he comes to my practice, he is a funny guy. He tells me to keep going and to play hard. His energy is unique, he is the type of coach that can push you hard to develop yourself both on and off the court. His message to me is that he wants me to play for him because I am a great person and how hard I play. He says he enjoys watching me play every time. He always gives me advice to stay mentally strong out there, even if things don’t go my way, to stick to the plan and move on to the next play. It really matters to me that a coach can tell me what I need to hear, the truth.”

BAYLOR: “I like how they play freshmen. In the past, they have put three guards on the floor, and that is unique. And they have been winning a lot of games. How much they win is very impressive. I feel like I can fit in with how they play. They are always reaching out to me before and after my games to tell me to just keep going. I really like them.”

USC: “I saw how the coach is really tough and how he was able to give me some advice on how to make it to the league. He said I cannot go to college just wanting to make it to the next level, I have to want to work. Coach Muss (Eric Musselman) has had a lot of players make it to the league. The staff has some NBA players too who can use their experience to teach me different skills and how to read the game.”

Scouting Report

“Tounde Yessoufou is a physically developed, explosively athletic wing prospect. Consistent production is the name of the game for the 6-5 Yessoufou. Defensively, he guards multiple positions, able to move his feet on the perimeter or switch down to guard some on the block. He has the quick-twitch to defend the ball and the anticipation and length as a team defender. Offensively, he has a solid pace and is at his best getting downhill in straight lines. Yessoufou needs to continue working on his middle game and his counters off the bounce. The jump shot is coming along but could also use some continued attention. The shot release can get flat and his balance/footwork get off when shooting off movement. He fills the lanes hard, pushes the break with pace, and is tough on the boards. He has consistently produced in every setting. Excellent motor.” – On3’s Jamie Shaw