Wow... It goes by fast sometimes. Yante was Jonas' first recruiting find, and it really turned out well. The 3 star should end up as the 2018 SEC POY.
Although he had a few good games as a freshman while playing behind Thornton and Nemi, I think Yante's future was shown in his first game against KY that year. In that game, he went 5-8 for 13 points and 9 boards. He showed his ability to get by bigger and on-paper better players and was a huge boost to his confidence.
That first year was also his only trip to the NCAA tournament, as UGA finished in a 4-way tie for 3rd in the SEC, and he got to play 13 mins against his mom's favorite school, Michigan State. It is unfortunate he never made it back. Also his freshman season, who can forget he got hit by a car? Crazy stuff when a driver couldn't see a 6'8" guy in a crosswalk! Another fun note was his dance contest with a whale last year in Spain... He is goofy and loveable, for sure.
Yante has since gone on to start all but one game the rest of his career, excluding injury games. He has been a model of consistency starting his soph year until now. He plays very smart vs double teams, and has a nice stroke from many spots on the floor. While he is a tweener for the NBA, I think he will still find a spot in the world's number 1 league and I wish him nothing but the best. I am so glad he came to UGA because of his love for reptiles (a first for me in recruiting) and that I got to watch up close, UGA's #2 career scorer, and top 5 rebounder. Thank you, Yante.
Now, a fun speculation about Yante. What if Yante stayed "home" and went to Michigan State? Here, we know what he did and he got that opportunity and will get that POY trophy. At Michigan State, he may not have started as many games, nor gotten the stats to get him a conference POY award, but he would've been in the tournament every year, Final Four his freshman season and most likely a 1 seed this year, as well as maybe he helped those MSU teams his soph and JR years to not lose so early... How crazy is it to look back at someone else's life and wonder "what if?" But would he have been happier? Would he be upset at all the scandal around MSU this year? More than he is upset about the Fox situation being up in the air, here? Overall, I'm really happy Jonas was able to find him and for Fox to sign him. He is just a joy to watch and I know I will miss him.
Thanks for 4 great years, Yante, and best of luck in the NBA!
Although he had a few good games as a freshman while playing behind Thornton and Nemi, I think Yante's future was shown in his first game against KY that year. In that game, he went 5-8 for 13 points and 9 boards. He showed his ability to get by bigger and on-paper better players and was a huge boost to his confidence.
That first year was also his only trip to the NCAA tournament, as UGA finished in a 4-way tie for 3rd in the SEC, and he got to play 13 mins against his mom's favorite school, Michigan State. It is unfortunate he never made it back. Also his freshman season, who can forget he got hit by a car? Crazy stuff when a driver couldn't see a 6'8" guy in a crosswalk! Another fun note was his dance contest with a whale last year in Spain... He is goofy and loveable, for sure.
Yante has since gone on to start all but one game the rest of his career, excluding injury games. He has been a model of consistency starting his soph year until now. He plays very smart vs double teams, and has a nice stroke from many spots on the floor. While he is a tweener for the NBA, I think he will still find a spot in the world's number 1 league and I wish him nothing but the best. I am so glad he came to UGA because of his love for reptiles (a first for me in recruiting) and that I got to watch up close, UGA's #2 career scorer, and top 5 rebounder. Thank you, Yante.
Now, a fun speculation about Yante. What if Yante stayed "home" and went to Michigan State? Here, we know what he did and he got that opportunity and will get that POY trophy. At Michigan State, he may not have started as many games, nor gotten the stats to get him a conference POY award, but he would've been in the tournament every year, Final Four his freshman season and most likely a 1 seed this year, as well as maybe he helped those MSU teams his soph and JR years to not lose so early... How crazy is it to look back at someone else's life and wonder "what if?" But would he have been happier? Would he be upset at all the scandal around MSU this year? More than he is upset about the Fox situation being up in the air, here? Overall, I'm really happy Jonas was able to find him and for Fox to sign him. He is just a joy to watch and I know I will miss him.
Thanks for 4 great years, Yante, and best of luck in the NBA!
