West African Ballers To Take Center Stage in MLK Classic
Benin and Cameroon will be among the nations represented in the prestigious event.
If De La Salle wants the menu at the snack bar to reflect the talent on the court at Monday’s 26th MLK Classic, the Spartans will need to serve up some fufu and jollof rice.
Fufu is a mashed-up mix of cassava and plantains, while jollof rice, made in a spicy tomato-based sauce, often leads to heated debates over which African nation makes the best version of the iconic dish.
Both are regularly eaten across West African nations, and considering that the region will be represented by some of the best players across the eight games, it would only be appropriate for them to be available on the menu.
St. Joseph junior forward Tounde Yessoufou, a native of Benin, may be the highest-profile player in the entire event. He’s ranked 21st in his class by ESPN, 37th by 247Sports and 16th by 247's composite ranking. Last year, he led the Knights to the Northern California Open Division title, and the big-bodied dynamic forward boasts offers from the likes of Arizona and Kansas. No player from Benin has ever played in the NBA, but Yessoufou is a good bet to change that.
His Knights, who enter at 15-2 with just one loss to an in-state opponent, will battle Branson (13-5) in the 5 p.m. game. He and sophomore guard Julius Price, who’s been offered by Minnesota and Washington, are the two returning starters from last year’s team, which dispatched Dougherty Valley and Modesto Christian before falling to Harvard-Westlake at Golden 1 Center.
The Bulls are the best Marin County team in at least a decade, led by Illinois commit Jase Butler, forward Finley Keeffe and junior point guard Semetri Carr, who holds offers from Washington, Washington State and Wichita State. Branson is especially good against the press, as any of Butler, Carr or Joaquin Aguillon, who’s committed to Division III Macalester, can handle the ball in the backcourt.
After Yessoufou is done, it’ll be Cameroon’s turn to take the floor. Like St. Joseph, Riordan has been a home for international players in the past decade, and this year’s team has two Cameroonian standouts in Nes Emeneke and Andrew Hilman. Emeneke, a 6-foot-10 center who transferred from Priory and was finally cleared to play in Friday’s win over Valley Christian, is a stellar defender and rim protector with offers from Eastern Washington and Loyola Marymount.
Hilman, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, might be the best-kept secret in all of Northern California. He has offers from Cal, San Francisco and Washington, as well as four other schools, but his play is deserving of attention beyond just the West Coast. As a freshman, he led the Crusaders in blocks, charges, deflections, rebounds and steals, and he’s averaging 19.8 points per game through the first 12 contests of his sophomore season, including a 28-point performance at Crypto.com Arena to defeat Bishop Gorman in overtime at the Coastal Catholic Classic, where he shot 11-of-13.
Riordan (9-3) is one of the top two teams in the Central Coast Section alongside Mitty, and the two will face off for the first time this season on Tuesday night in San Jose. First, the Crusaders will face Salesian (17-1), one of the clear top three in the North Coast Section, on Monday night at 6:30.
The Pride, led by Hawaii commit Aaron Claytor, won the prestigious Gridley Invitational in early December and closed out 2023 with a third-place finish in the Platinum Division at The Classic at Damien. Their resume already includes wins over Mitty, Branson, Centennial and Damien. While most of Salesian’s roster, there is a little West African representation on Bill Mellis’ team as well; sophomore Elias Obenyah’s father, Aaron, was born in Ghana.