Yeboah’s Blue-Collar Approach Suits Scarlet Knights
Jun 19 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY - As a graduate transfer in college basketball, you have limited time to maximize your experience. For Akwasi Yeboah, he knew that Rutgers was the perfect spot for him to both pursue a master's degree in health administration and to make an impact on the floor for the Scarlet Knights.
In his three years at Stony Brook, Yeboah scored over 1,000 points, averaging 13.9 for his career, while being the focal point of the Sea Wolves' offense. When he announced his intention to graduate and transfer, there was a long line of suitors, but Yeboah ultimately went to the coach who brought him to Division I basketball out of Chigwell, England.
Although Yeboah never played a game under Steve Pikiell at Stony Brook, he spent his first year with the Sea Wolves redshirting and part of an NCAA Tournament team. While that would ultimately be Pikiell's final season, it was also the prologue to Yeboah's very successful tenure with the Sea Wolves.
"It was a combination of things but (head) coach (Steve) Pikiell and the coaching staff, having that familiarity was a huge thing for me," Yeboah said.
With the departure of two starters in the frontcourt from last season, Yeboah will look to fill voids of both experience and production. A self-described "tenacious rebounder," his mindset on the glass is exactly what Pikiell has relied on in his turnaround of the men's basketball program since arriving "On the Banks" in 2016.
Yeboah has accepted the leadership responsibilities that come with being a veteran and is already well aware of what he is trying to accomplish in his short time as a Scarlet Knight.
"I knew coming in I was going to have to be a vocal leader and that's not going to change," he said. "At the end of the day I'm still going to help the team in any way that I can."
When Yeboah arrived on campus during Memorial Day week, along with incoming freshman Paul Mulcahy, he got right into the swing of things. He began working out with strength coach David Van Dyke and acclimating to his new environment and teammates in both organized workouts and open runs.
"I'm really trying to just work on all aspects of my game and get better in every area," he said.
His blue-collar attitude fits right in with the rest of the team and his familiarity with Pikiell have made the move as seamless as possible, while allowing Yeboah to focus as much time as he can on improving his game.
With the Scarlet Knights hoping to take even bigger strides in 2019-2020, team culture is as important as ever. The way Yeboah's first couple of weeks on campus have gone, his fitting right in will be a big part of the team's success.
"I'm adjusting pretty well. I love the team and they've really accepted me," Yeboah said. "They like to work hard and that really helps me because I really like to work hard as well. It's been a smooth transition."
In his three years at Stony Brook, Yeboah scored over 1,000 points, averaging 13.9 for his career, while being the focal point of the Sea Wolves' offense. When he announced his intention to graduate and transfer, there was a long line of suitors, but Yeboah ultimately went to the coach who brought him to Division I basketball out of Chigwell, England.
Although Yeboah never played a game under Steve Pikiell at Stony Brook, he spent his first year with the Sea Wolves redshirting and part of an NCAA Tournament team. While that would ultimately be Pikiell's final season, it was also the prologue to Yeboah's very successful tenure with the Sea Wolves.
"It was a combination of things but (head) coach (Steve) Pikiell and the coaching staff, having that familiarity was a huge thing for me," Yeboah said.
With the departure of two starters in the frontcourt from last season, Yeboah will look to fill voids of both experience and production. A self-described "tenacious rebounder," his mindset on the glass is exactly what Pikiell has relied on in his turnaround of the men's basketball program since arriving "On the Banks" in 2016.
Yeboah has accepted the leadership responsibilities that come with being a veteran and is already well aware of what he is trying to accomplish in his short time as a Scarlet Knight.
"I knew coming in I was going to have to be a vocal leader and that's not going to change," he said. "At the end of the day I'm still going to help the team in any way that I can."
When Yeboah arrived on campus during Memorial Day week, along with incoming freshman Paul Mulcahy, he got right into the swing of things. He began working out with strength coach David Van Dyke and acclimating to his new environment and teammates in both organized workouts and open runs.
"I'm really trying to just work on all aspects of my game and get better in every area," he said.
His blue-collar attitude fits right in with the rest of the team and his familiarity with Pikiell have made the move as seamless as possible, while allowing Yeboah to focus as much time as he can on improving his game.
With the Scarlet Knights hoping to take even bigger strides in 2019-2020, team culture is as important as ever. The way Yeboah's first couple of weeks on campus have gone, his fitting right in will be a big part of the team's success.
"I'm adjusting pretty well. I love the team and they've really accepted me," Yeboah said. "They like to work hard and that really helps me because I really like to work hard as well. It's been a smooth transition."
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