The adjustments came early, and often, for Akwasi Yeboah.
Some were difficult, like moving from Ghana to England as a 9-year-old, with no grasp of the predominant language of his new home. Some were simple, like learning he could stand up in class and challenge what a teacher said, without fear of getting caned like in his native land. Some were strange, like arriving on Stony Brook’s campus fluent in English, and having to alter how he spoke because his accent was too thick for many Long Islanders to decipher.
“People would always ask me to repeat words because they couldn’t understand me, so I had to adjust the way I talk, and over time, I’ve learned to talk in a certain way that people can understand,” Yeboah said.
“Coming from England to the U.S. isn’t as much of a culture shock as coming from Ghana, but I still had to get used to it, with the food and the way people talk and the culture.”
As a freshman, the quiet 6-foot-6 guard made an immediate impact on the supposedly rebuilding Seawolves, who surprisingly finished second in the America East, following the losses of longtime coach Steve Pikiell and the team’s top three scorers from the school’s first NCAA Tournament team.
Entering this season, with the departure of leading-scorer and top playmaker Lucas Woodhouse — as well as third-leading scorer Roland Nyama — coach Jeff Boals wasn’t sure who would take the reins.
Yeboah did, coming off a summer in which he starred for Great Britain in FIBA’s U20 European Championship, scoring a game-high 22 points against Russia to lead his country to a third-place finish in Division B, and elevating Great Britain back to the top division for the first time since 2015.
“I feel like my game has evolved a lot, and I gained a lot more confidence playing for the national team over the summer,” Yeboah said. “My game improved a lot in the post, and so has my shooting. I found a new confidence in my game.
“I kind of knew I would have to take a big role this season. I knew I’d have to step up.”
Stony Brook’s fourth-leading scorer as a freshman, Yeboah is now the unquestioned go-to guy as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 14.9 points and a team-high 5.0 rebounds, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 39.4 percent on 3-pointers. Last season, he shot just 37.2 percent from the field and 34.1 percent on 3-pointers, while averaging 9.5 points.
Nevertheless, Stony Brook’s place in the middle of a crowded conference reflects Yeboah’s ongoing adjustment to increased defensive attention, and his own repeated foul trouble. Over the past 12 games, he has scored more than 20 points on seven occasions, but was held to single-digits four times.
“Our depth is one of our strengths, but [entering the season] we really didn’t have a Lucas Woodhouse, where you knew he was going to run the show, make big shots and be a leader, a first-team all-league guy, and Akwasi’s been that guy for us in our wins,” Boals said. “He’s got to be the guy for us. He’s still learning what it takes to be that guy consistently. When he plays really well, we’re good. We’re going to continue to go to him and our confidence in him is not going to waver.”
The sport is still fairly new to Yeboah, who mostly played soccer when he was younger, and didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 13, when his older brother, Kwame, began playing in high school.
Since basketball was rarely broadcast in England, Yeboah would primarily consume it on YouTube, hoping someone would come across the pond and give him the chance to play at the highest collegiate level.
“It’s slowly growing [in England], but it’s very hard for players out there to get noticed by college scouts, so to come over here and play, I’m really fortunate to be in the position I’m in,” Yeboah said. “[Stony Brook] was the only school that really kept in touch with me. Coach Pikiell flew to England, and that really meant a lot. He was the only person who really sat down and talked with me thoroughly, and came over to watch me play. He took a chance, and I’m in love with the campus and the environment and the area.
“It was always a dream to come out here.”
Games of the Week
Iona vs. Manhattan (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
The two best teams in MAAC history are championship contenders in the conference again. The Gaels and Jaspers will meet for the first time this season, reigniting their rivalry at Nassau Coliseum, the headline to a triple-header that includes Fairfield vs. Quinnipiac and Marist vs. Monmouth.
Wagner at Robert Morris (Sunday, 2 p.m.)
In a battle of the Northeast Conference’s top two teams, the Seahawks, in position to win their second regular season title of the past three years, could gain the inside track for home-court throughout the league tournament. Senior guard JoJo Cooper was just named NEC Player of the Week, nearly averaging a triple-double in two games.
Seton Hall vs. Providence (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
The Pirates will return to the NCAA Tournament, but their seed could slip tremendously, making a deep run much more difficult. Seton Hall has lost three of its past four games — and back-to-back contests for the first time all season — while the Friars’ only loss in five games was to No. 1 Villanova.
Local Power Poll
1. Seton Hall
Record: 15-5, 4-3
Up next: Sunday (4 p.m.) at DePaul
2. Rutgers
Record: 12-10, 2-7
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) at Penn State
3. St. John’s
Record: 10-11, 0-9
Up next: Saturday (2:30 p.m.) at Butler
4. Iona
Record: 12-8, 6-2
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. Manhattan
5. Hofstra
Record: 12-9, 5-4
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) at Delaware
6. Wagner
Record: 14-6, 7-2
Up next: Sunday (2 p.m.) at Robert Morris
7. Army
Record: 12-8, 5-4
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) at Loyola (Md.)
8. Manhattan
Record: 10-11, 5-4
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. Iona
9. St. Peter’s
Record: 8-12, 2-7
Up next: Monday (7 p.m.) at Siena
10. Stony Brook
Record: 8-13, 3-4
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. Albany