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With the buildup to the season and basking in the glory of our 2022 and 2023 roster, it seems like a good moment to recognize the contribution of Kassoum Yakwe before he becomes a never mentioned lost footnote in UConn's past. After his transfer to us, he was injured so early in the season he never had an impact on the court. In spite of that, Kassoum Yakwe was a transfer with a huge impact because of his key role in getting Sanogo's commitment here with Adama not even visiting or seeing the school, and supposedly Seton Hall's to lose. From clips at the time, I've heard Adama say that he trusted Yakwe from the same homeland and that that was a big part of his recruitment choice. Samson Johnson, (ye of wall potential), clearly followed his St Patrick's teammate Sanogo. Now Singare comes aboard from the same heritage, and another Mali young recruit has visited. Moreover, we are part of the national conversation with Sanogo, and other major players like Clingan have been drawn to the team at least partially to get better in practice against him. Yakwe started this pipeline. I propose a Kassoum Yakwe Boneyard annual recognition day to recognize all the guys who have made contributions to the team from the bench or after graduation. Or, at least raise a glass tonight and give a thought to how different the program might be without Yakwe coming aboard.
