Godwill Yeboah '25 Recruiting Profile

Without a doubt, there are countless basketball players all over the nation, but in me you will find a unique player that comes with a unique set of perspectives on “lays it all out on the court.”

I am Godwill Yeboah, an 11th grader at Charter School of Educational Excellence, a school in Yonkers New York, and I remember first seeing the game of basketball played on television as a 5 year old. My dad, who at the time was a New York Knicks fan, would watch the Knicks play and would invite me to watch it with him. At first I didn’t think much of it until I saw what I thought were 3rd or 4th graders at my school playing pickup basketball games as our whole kindergarten class walked past the gymnasium on our way home. 

I noticed then with great interest as one of the boys shot off a between-the-legs dribble. I was shocked, and hooked! I would go on to work on that skill till I mastered it. As the years went by, I kept playing with the other boys at my school during recess and gymnasium sessions. I would also play with the boys in my neighborhood at the community park almost every day (mostly during the Summer), and slowly but surely my skills improved. 

But it was not until I tried out for a 6th grade basketball team at my school that I joined my first official basketball team, and that was really exciting, and began a process of improvement where I will not just get better as a player on my school team but I will seek out opportunities to improve. I did this by playing with AAU teams, different competitive local pick up games, and by personally working on different aspects of my games, all of which helped to improve my overall skill-set as a player. 

I'm a very fit and athletic player. I can score at all 3-levels (which on a basketball court will be from the three point range, mid-range, and anywhere near the basket, and I can also dunk the ball. I’m a really skilled and shifty ball handler, and my speed with the ball is fast - it takes me about 2 or 3 dribbles to get down the court. When it comes to defense, I consider myself a lock down defender, as I take pride in my defensive abilities. I have different tactics when defending, depending on the player and how they play, making it difficult for an offensive player to get past me when I’m on my defense. Also when it comes to my general understanding of the game of basketball, which many consider one’s basketball IQ, mine is pretty high as well - I always know where to be no matter where the ball is. 

Yet, as my Dad will often tell me, my academics always come first before basketball, and as a student athlete, that comes with a meaning that speaks to me. The fact that the ‘student’ part comes first says a lot about what comes first in priority for me as a student-athlete - my academics and my desire to major in sports medicine in college. Currently I know I still have to improve some of my grades, yet I know every opportunity I have had to play the game of basketball has come as a result of my status as a student in school, and that will guide my approach to my studies as a student-athlete on your team. I have to first and foremost do well in my classes to be in good standing as a member of any collegiate basketball team. 

Speaking of being a member of a collegiate basketball team, that’s where character comes in. Just as a house without a foundation will not stand, so is a great player without character, and this matters to me. As is known anywhere in basketball circles, passion plays a big role in what it takes to be a great player, and that also factors in what it takes to win games. Yet this same passion, if not properly managed, could also get a player’s emotions overly worked up to the point of losing control of one's actions on the court. 

So as much as l love the game of basketball with a strong passion, I’m mindful of my emotions and my actions anytime I’m on the court. One wrong behavior in a heated moment on the court could lead to a needless technical foul, and possible ejection, all of which will hurt my team's chances of winning the game — and reflects poorly on the team as a whole and on you as my coach. So along with that I also consider myself someone you can count on: a humble, disciplined, and hard working player who is willing to sacrifice for my teammates in both good and bad moments.