by Alex Schwartz

I just got off the phone with Chris Timba, the guardian of Mouphtaou Yarou '09. He confirmed to me what I had heard from another source, that Yarou is committing to the Villanova Wildcats. "Villanova was the first school to start actually recruiting him and actually believe in him," said Timbas as to why Yarou picked Jay Wright and Co. He added that the big man "felt comfortable with the coaches," and mentioned that the school has "good academics." Mouphatou, who "is originally from the Republic of Benin" in Africa, was also been recruited by UCLA, Vanderbilt, UConn, St. John's, Providence, New Mexico State, and Texas according to Timba. "His goal is to be the number one player in the country by the end of the season and also be an All-America. He also wants to have fun . . . and win a lot of games," said Timba as to what Yarou wants to accomplish this year.