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Yussif Basa-Ama is headed to the Ivy League

By HoopMIA , 10/02/19, 12:30PM EDT

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Yussif Basa-Ama is set for a huge senior season for St.Andrews. The 6-foot-9 200 pound forward just recently committed to Yale University. He had acquired offers from Rice, West Virginia, Oklahoma, USF, FGCU, Loyola Marymount, Harvard, and Columbia throughout his prep career. He talked about what the factors were in his college choice.

 

“I based my decision on the competition level, the safety of the campus, the relationship between students and the athletes, and my relationship with the coaches,” said Basa-Ama. 

I also considered the style of play and the number of players ahead of me or coming in at my position.”

 

The native of Ghana played his summer with the very talented CP25 group. They competed in nationals events like Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, HoopSeen Best of the South, Source Hoops Summer Jam, and many others. The summer saw his stock soar and he described the experience of playing his junior summer with CP25.

 

“Playing my summer ball with CP25 was great. We competed with anyone who was brave enough to play us. We did not play in a shoe circuit but we did not avoid any of the circuit teams. All the players on the team had a great summer. All of my teammates ended up with division 1 offers which was the ultimate goal.”

 

247 sports has Yussif ranked as the number 38 power forward in the country. He was a first team All-County selection last season, while averaging 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He is an athletic forward with a great motor. He talked about his strengths as a prospect. 

 

“The best part of my game in my opinion is that I have good footwork on offense and in the post.  I also have better speed than regular bigs.”

 

St. Andrews lost to Tampa Catholic last season 62-59 in the state semifinals in Lakeland and with Bama-Ama leading the way they are looking to capture the state championship this season. The Cardinals are in the new 3A District 11 that features Oxbridge Academy, Cardinal Newman, St.John Paul II, The Benjamin School, Kings Academy, and Jupiter Christian. 

 

“Last year we got close to a state title by going to Lakeland. This season, I want us to build off of that and advance to states and win the title. Saint Andrews is going to one of the top high school teams in Florida this year. We are stacked and hungry for success. I’m very excited and looking forward to the beginning of the season.”

 

The Yale commit is one of the most talented student-athletes in South Florida and the sky is the limit on the kind of college player he can become. He is set for a big senior season and in the highly competitive 3A region they will be competing against some of the best programs in Florida. The region which features Westminster Academy, Calvary Christian, Sagemont, Holy Trinity, and the aforementioned district opponents amongst others will be an exciting playoff race and battle for a spot in Lakeland.