Villanova's Yarou successfully adjusting to life on Main Line

UPON LANDING IN the United States from Benin in West Africa in 2007, Villanova freshman Mouphtaou Yarou became overcome with homesickness. As a junior at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., the 6-10, 250-pound forward/center suddenly found himself in an alien culture, of which he had only a passing acquaintance through some rap songs and an occasional NBA game he had seen on television. He longed for his family and friends.

"Every time I spoke with my parents, I asked them: 'Should I stay or should I go back?' " says Yarou, who transferred his senior year in high school to Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md. "And each time my mother said, 'Nothing good comes easy.' "

Yarou has found that to be the case this season. After starting the first two games of the season, he was sent home from the Puerto Rico Classic in November with what was later diagnosed as hepatitis B. Initially, coach Jay Wright expected Yarou to be sidelined for the season. But Yarou recovered and was back playing again in January. Although Wright is thrilled to have him back, he said that he had hoped to get Yarou some seasoning during November and December and have an experienced player to work with once the Big East schedule got under way in January.

"I think he is getting better every day," Wright says. "At this point in the season, it will come down to how much playing time we can get him to help his development but to also help the team. So it is a fine line."

Given that Yarou only began playing basketball in 2004, Wright thinks he has an "incredible upside." Wright says he is "very, very bright and picks things up quickly," but is lacking in game experience and still undergoing the transition from high school to college basketball. While Yarou said in October that he found the adjustment "really hard" - he says the game was "really fast" - he has come to understand that at this level he cannot take plays off. Told by Wright not to worry about his scoring, Yarou has focused on trying to be a better defender, shot-blocker and rebounder.

"I just have to play harder," says Yarou, who concedes that he was not an especially avid defender back when he was an aspiring young soccer player in Africa. "I have to get better at running the floor for long stretches. I have to be more aggressive. I have to be more of a presence on the floor . . . Sometimes I play hard for two plays and then take a play off. I have to play hard for 40 minutes."

Wright says it is a typical lesson for freshmen, but adds that it is "even harder for a big guy." Given that Big East teams tend to play only one big man, Wright says it is not uncommon for someone such as Yarou "to get caught guarding smaller guys that are quicker." Says Wright: "And you have to be prepared for that on every possession. If you take one or two possessions off, [the opponents] are going to kill you."

Teammate Scottie Reynolds said in October that Yarou had to be toughened up some.

True?

Yarou says yes.

"Probably true," says Yarou, who speaks two languages and four dialects. "But I am getting there. I am working at it."

Wright says that "physically, [Yarou] is a pretty tough kid." But he does say that Yarou could improve in the "mental aspects" of the game, including "fighting through fatigue and sprinting up the floor on every play at a high speed."

On the heels of a 2-day NCAA investigation concerning his eligibility that stemmed from an online article in Sporting News Today that claimed he was 23, not 19, and that he played in the 2007 Africa Cup - he was cleared - Yarou became ill in Puerto Rico and was diagnosed Dec. 1 with hepatitis B. Unable to work out with the team, he continued doing so on his own every other day. Aware that the initial reports were that he would be out for the season, Yarou says he began feeling better by the second week of December.

"Being on the sidelines and watching my teammates play was very hard," says Yarou, who has played 14 games and averages 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds for 22-4 Villanova. "I just wanted to jump out on the court and go for rebounds."

With the help of graduate assistant Frank Tchuisi, a former Villanova player, Yarou has found the off-the-court transition to the Main Line campus to be a smooth one. Academically, he performed exceptionally well. In fact, Wright remembers how Yarou came to him early in the first semester and complained that his calculus course was too easy.

Wright told him he had heard that before.

"Get me an 'A,' " Wright challenged him, "and then tell me how easy it is."

Yarou handed him his first test: He scored a 99.

"He is brilliant," Wright says. "He has done very well academically and really enjoys it."

Tchuisi echoes that. "I try to keep an eye on him," Tchuisi says. "I try to help him understand what it takes to play at this level and what it takes to succeed in the classroom. So far he has done well. I am proud of him."

Though Yarou says he still occasionally gets homesick, he has found the surroundings at Villanova to be comfortable and has enjoyed the company of his coaches and teammates. By Internet, he stays in touch with his loved ones in Africa every day. He says that his parents and even friends treated him "like a king" there on his last visit in August.

"I usually clean our car but Mom said no," Yarou says. "My friends even looked at me differently, with more respect than I am used to. None of them would joke with me."

Yarou says it is "a dream" of his to play in the NBA some day. Wright says he has the potential to do that if can continue to get on-court experience. But ultimately, Yarou hopes to go back to Africa and open a business. Asked what type of business he had planned, he would not say - only that it will be "something big." *