Wichita State basketball recruit Yanis Bamba has ‘real serious upside,’ per Canadian scout
The first time Canadian basketball scout Wes Brown watched Yanis Bamba play last summer, he immediately typed a text message to coaching friend Luke Gore.
Gore had earned a reputation for having a reliable eye in picking out talent from the Great White North and developing it at Valparaiso, where he spent the past 21 seasons coaching.
Bamba, a fluid play-maker in a 6-foot-6 frame, could be Gore’s latest Canadian discovery.
“I told Luke he had to come see this kid play and steal him,” Brown told The Eagle. “Luke came the next weekend and brought him on a visit and got him to commit. I think quite a few high-major teams saw him play after that and liked him, but then they found out he was already committed.”
Santa Clara, which has placed players in the first round of the NBA Draft two straight years, was Bamba’s only other offer before he committed to Valparaiso, but Brown suspects he would have garnered high-major offers if he didn’t commit before his senior year.
Brown said it’s common for Canadian players to be overlooked, but Gore has the network of contacts and relationships to identify top players before most do.
“It happens all the time with Canadian players, flying under the radar because not very many people are in the know,” Brown said. “Luke Gore may be the best Canadian recruiter in the NCAA. He knows Canada like the back of his hand.”
Bamba is in the process of being released from his letter of intent from Valparaiso and signing with Wichita State, where Gore now works as the program’s director of operations under head coach Paul Mills. Bamba verbally committed to join the Shockers’ 2023 recruiting class earlier this week.
It’s a July signing that Brown, who has watched Bamba develop at Jean-de-Brebeuf in Canada over the past year, believes could be a nice boost for Wichita State over time.
“He’s conservatively a top-10 player in this class in Canada and you’ve seen some of the guys we have produced lately,” said Brown, who hosts the Monday Morning Scouting Report on YouTube. “He’s just got a lot more upside than a lot of these (other top-10) guys. He’s got real serious upside because he’s got the body and the athleticism and he can defend and he’s got some play-making and shot-making. As long as he develops properly, I think he can be a really nice piece for Wichita State.”
Brown would characterize Bamba as a late bloomer in his class. After playing on the AAU circuit for the first time last summer, Bamba continued to blossom this past season at Jean-de-Brebeuf in an environment that Brown said would be comparable to a prep school in America.
Bamba helped his team finish with an 18-4 record this season and averaged 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals, while shooting 43.3% from the field, 31.3% on three-pointers and 61.8% on free throws.
The biggest development, in Brown’s estimation, was Bamba’s ball-handling and play-making ability in his final prep season. Jean-de-Brebeuf put the ball in Bamba’s hands more, allowing him to bring the ball up the floor, initiate offense and operate out of the pick-and-roll more often this season. That versatility should serve him well trying to earn minutes at the Division I level, according to Brown’s scouting report.
“He’s a physical, downhill, attacking, strong guard that also plays within himself,” Brown said. “He can make the kick-out passes and make the right play. He didn’t force shots at the rim, which I think is really rare in today’s game. He really has an ability to guard with his high-major length and athleticism. His tools are unmistakable.”
Bamba joins Nigerian native Joy Ighovodja as the incoming freshmen on WSU’s roster, which is down to its final scholarship slot for the 2023-24 season. The rest of WSU’s 2023 recruiting class features transfers in center Jacob Germany (UTSA), wing Harlond Beverly (Miami, Fla.), forward Ronnie DeGray III (Missouri) and guard Bijan Cortes (Oklahoma).
