We are less than 7 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with new Campbell assistant coach Joseph Yesufu, who talked about winning an NCAA title in 2022 and his expectations for this season.
In February of 2021 as a player at Drake you set career-highs on back-to-back nights with 32 PTS (12-14 FG)/36 PTS (11-18 FG in 40 minutes during your 1st-ever start) in a pair of wins over Evansville: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up that week seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yes. It was also about my work ethic because I take pride in getting into the gym every day.
You finished that year by being named 6th Man of the Year: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a blessing and allowed me to show all my hard work.
You were also named to the All-MVC Tournament Team that March: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? My team gave me the confidence that I needed to lead them to the championship game. Roman Penn was a big help to me, and I still keep in touch with him.
In 2022 as a player at Kansas you won the NCAA tourney: what did it mean to you to win a title? I still cannot believe it to this day! It sticks with you: individual accolades are nice…but you will always be remembered for winning. Rock Chalk Jayhawk for life!
You played at 4 different schools during the past 5 years: would you have preferred to stay at 1 school the entire time or are you glad that your journey took you to so many different places? I do not regret anything. There were different circumstances at each school: for example, the reason I left Drake to join Kansas was to test myself. I always wanted to play at the highest level and prove others wrong by proving myself right.
Last spring you were hired as an assistant to new Campbell coach Josh Andrzejek, who won his own NCAA title last April as an assistant at Florida: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It is going great. I am thankful that he offered me the job last April. I was in a place where I was unsure if I would keep playing, so I decided to get into coaching. It has been 1 of the best decisions of my life because I can give back to the next generation.
Your 2nd game of the year this November will be in Morgantown: how weird will it be to walk into the Coliseum as a coach for the visiting team less than 8 months after your final game there as a player for the home team?! It will certainly feel weird…but I am a Mountaineer for life too! The fans there are 2nd to none, and it is always love…but I hope we win!
In addition to West Virginia, the Camels have trips this fall to Wisconsin/Wake Forest/Penn State/Gonzaga/Minnesota: how will you try to survive that brutal road gauntlet? We are not looking to “survive”: we are looking to WIN. At the end of the day, we know what is coming so we will be ready.
You had a birthday earlier this week: what did you do for the big day? I went out to recruit: now that I am older, I cannot celebrate birthdays the same way I did when I was younger!
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? As a team I want our guys to be their best and break that barrier. When we do that, we will win a lot of games. Individually, I want to learn, and I have a great staff who are helping me along the way to be a professional/network with people. I will study them to see how they do things and then come up with my own way of doing things.
