It wasn’t too long ago when Nebraska was hardly a thought in Yvan Ouedraogo’s mind.
A 2019 power forward recruit from the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) in Bordeaux, France, Ouedraogo had originally narrowed his focus to three schools – Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and TCU – for his next basketball journey just over a month ago.
But a late push from the Huskers changed his plans a bit, and after an official visit to Lincoln on April 28-30, the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder gave his commitment to NU on Sunday. He became the first player from France in program history.
Ouedraogo told HuskerOnline.com that his interest in Nebraska started when assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih, who had been recruiting him at St. John’s, reached out and convinced him to come on a visit after joining head coach Fred Hoiberg’s staff.
“At first I thought I was going to commit to either TCU, Vanderbilt, or Georgia Tech,” Ouedraogo said. “I never really considered Nebraska. Then I came on a visit and everything was really good. Coach Hoiberg was super cool, and we spent a lot of time together. The plan he had for me, he said I’m going to play right away, and he thinks I can help the team a lot. That’s why I committed to Nebraska instead of the other schools.”
Ouedraogo, who just turned 17 years old in March, averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds over 26 games this past season at Centre Fédéral de Basketball, which plays in what is regarded as one of France’s top amateur leagues.
He also boasts plenty of international experience having played on France’s U16 national team. Last summer at the 2018 FIBA U16 Europe Championships he averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 boards, ranking second on his team in rebounding and helping France to a fourth-place finish.
“I think I’m a tough player, I bring a ton of energy, and I’m really skilled for a big man,” Ouedraogo said. “I can really handle the ball, play in the post, play off the dribble, and I’m a good rebounder, too. I’m really aggressive to the rim.”
Ouedraogo said playing against such a variety of competition – often against much older players – gave him full confidence in his ability to immediately transition to the Big Ten Conference.
“Yeah, I think I’m ready for the Big Ten,” Ouedraogo said. “First of all, since I was young, I’ve played against players who are in the NBA right now and the French (professional) league. Since I was 12 years old, I didn’t really play on a team; I was at an academy. So I played against older players, pro players all the time, so I think I’m ready.
“Here in France at Centre Fédéral, we played in a pro men’s league, so I played against old NCAA players, some pro players, some grown men. So I think I can play in the Big Ten. I’m ready.”
He isn’t daunted by the idea of moving halfway across the globe to Nebraska, either.
“Since I was 12 years old, I’ve lived without my parents,” Ouedraogo said. “My father and my mother live in Africa right now, and I just have my grandmother here in France with me. So to leave home will be tough because of my friends and my grandmother and everything, but it won’t be anything I can’t handle.”
Ouedraogo said he planned on competing in the 2019 FIBA Europe U18 Championships in Greece, which run from July 27 to Aug. 4. As a result, he won’t be able to join the Huskers on their foreign trip to Italy (Aug. 3-13).
He is set to move to Lincoln on Aug. 22 just in time for the start of the fall semester. Once he arrives, Ouedraogo said he’s most excited to finally experience one of Hoiberg and Abdelmassih’s top selling points about Nebraska – the fan base.
“I really liked the facilities,” Ouedraogo said. “During my visit process I went to five schools, and Nebraska had really the best facilities that I’d ever seen. Everything was big, and I really liked it.
“I didn’t get to see the fans, but the coaches told me the fans are crazy and sellout every game. That was really cool. I can’t wait to see it.”
