St. John's F Kassoum Yakwe made the trip to Maui, still not cleared to play
St. John's has its toughest challenged to date on Monday afternoon against Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational.
Kassoum Yakwe, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, was allowed to travel with the team, but has still not been cleared to play by the NCAA, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Marcus LoVett Jr. also made the trip. He has been ruled a partial qualifier, meaning he can practice, but not play this season.
This week, Yakwe will reunite with high school teammate Cheick Diallo. Diallo, a freshman at Kansas, has garnered plenty of attention due to his longstanding battle with the NCAA over his eligibility. Diallo enrolled at KU this summer, however, he is still waiting for a ruling. Kansas head coach Bill Self recently blasted the NCAA over its handling of this case.
The Red Storm could enter Monday's matchup against the Commodores with a thin bench. Braziller reported that Darien Williams and Malik Ellison (who missed St. John's comeback win over Rutgers with a foot injury) are both game-time decisions.
