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The Big East have been rolling out awards for all-league teams, and one member of St. John's made the list.
Kassoum Yakwe, the 6'7" forward from Mali, made the Big East all-freshman team. he averaged seven points, five rebounds and three blocks per game for the 8-23 Red Storm after missing the first six games while being cleared to play by the NCAA.
Yakwe started the last 15 of the 25 games he has played, and scored a high of 16 points against Seton Hall (where he also had a high of 15 rebounds). Yakwe had a career-high of seven blocks against Marquette at home.
The forward is small for the power forward position, but makes up for his size with energy and athleticism on his better days. He has room for improvement; his offense is rudimentary. He scored .86 points per possession, shooting 45% from the field and turning the ball over on 20% of his possessions - all numbers that need to improve.
And his free throw shooting, like the shooting of his teammates, needs work. He shot 51% from the line in Big East play, only better than fellow freshman Yankuba Sima, who shot 33% from the line in league play.
Yakwe is unlikely to pick up the leagues Rookie of the Year Award like Moe Harkless and Jakarr Sampson did; Marquette center Henry Ellenson was a unanimous selection on the all-freshman team (unlike Yakwe) and made the All-Big East First team so... that looks to be the logical choice.
The All Big East Freshman team, taken from the Big East's official site:
Big East All-Freshman Team
Eli Cain, DePaul, G, Fr., 6-6, 202, Willingboro, N.J.
Jessie Govan, Georgetown, C, Fr., 6-10, 270, Queens Village, N.Y.
Haanif Cheatham, Marquette, G, Fr., 6-5, 190, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
*Henry Ellenson, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-11, 245, Rice Lake, Wis.
Kassoum Yakwe, St. John's, F, Fr., 6-7, 205, Bamako, Mali
*Jalen Brunson, Villanova, Fr., G, 6-2, 199, Lincolnshire, Ill.
*Edmond Sumner, Xavier, G, Fr., 6-6, 183, Detroit, Mich.
For the rest of the all-league awards, see the Big East's official site.