Reports: Cats grab Yarou verbal

Late Monday afternoon, Villanova and Jay Wright received their 3rd verbal for the class of 2009 when Mouphtaou Yarou committed to the 'Cats. Yarou is a fast rising PF/C who is reported to be headed to Montrose Christian Academy (originally from Benin, Africa) for his senior year. The 'Cats beat out a bevy of suitors for this highly-ranked prospect.

Yarou is an interesting prospect who 6 months ago was an unknown to colleges, but has exploded over the summer. Apparently Pat Chambers and Jay Wright were recruiting him long before other schools were and that early attention was critical to the verbal. Also, with Frank Tchuisi (Cameroon) on the roster, Villanova has demonstrated it is a welcome place for players of African origin.

As Yarou rose through the ranks, including a #15 national ranking according to Rivals, more and more schools got involved, but that early work has paid off as Villanova now has 3 verbal commitments for 2009 in Maalik Wayns (PG), Isaiah Armwood (SF), and Yarou (PF). Villanova is still recruiting a number of other high-profile recruits, including Dominic Cheek and Terrell Vinson. It is unclear if VU will still pursue big men Aaric Murray and Talib Zanna