Tounde Yessoufou closes in on California state scoring record: Baylor signee should set coveted mark Saturday

Packed Atascadero gym watches the St. Joseph star go for 29 in three quarters, then mob him for autographs, pictures, dabs

Tounde Yessoufou just before being introduce at Atascadero High School 1-31-2025 / Photo: Mitch Stephens

ATASCADERO, CALIFORNIA — There’s a great sense of history entering the Atascadero High School Greyhounds’ classic but recently refurbished basketball gymnasium. 

Nicknamed the Hound Hut, the classic barn-shaped facility is accented with hundreds of bright orange and white championship banners from its 105-year history, perched in the rafters with league-title pennants and along the end zone walls more coveted section crown flags.

“There’s a lot of history and pride here,” said Atascadero athletic director Sam DeRose.  

So it made sense that local fans from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties would largely fill the gym on Friday night to witness and honor an opponent, California’s No. 2 all-time career scorer Tounde Yessoufou, who Monday was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game.  

Tounde Yessoufou had 23 points and eight rebounds leading St. Joseph to a 76-67 win over Salesian at the Crush in the Valley Showcase 1-25-25 / Photo: Greg Jungferman

The chiseled 6-foot-6, 210-pound St. Joseph of Santa Maria senior, by way of the West African nation of Benin, came into the Mountain League game just 55 points short of the state mark of 3,462 set by Demarcus Nelson of Vallejo and Sheldon-Sacramento from 2001 to 2004.

On Friday, he scored 29 points in three quarters of play for the state’s No. 3 team in an 87-34 win to improve to 24-1 on the season. With 3,437 career points, the Baylor-bound, five-star standout needs just 26 points to break the record Saturday in a 5 p.m. nonleague game with Weston Ranch of Stockton. 

Yessoufou with quick 10 to start 2Q. Up to 17 points. 38 points from state career record. St. Joe 43, Atascadero 22. 1:55 2Q. pic.twitter.com/lFWoHN0U2L

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) February 1, 2025

“The record means a lot,” Yessoufou said moments after the game. “It shows that my hard work is paying off. At the end of the day, records are meant to be broken. It would be a blessing. I’m excited to break the record. It’s been held for a long time.

“That said, my No. 1 goal is to win a state championship.”

Tounde Yessoufou in postgame interview after scoring 29 points at Atascadero, leaving him 26 short of the California state career record. / Photo: Mitch Stephens

'Over-rated!!!'

Atascadero freshman Jacob Mucurs, one of dozens surrounding Yessoufou after the game, didn’t know a thing about the scoring record and wasn’t why he attended. 

“He’s kind of a legend around here and I just wanted to see him play,” said Mucurs, who plays on the Atascadero freshmen team. “He’s one of the best players in California and a lot of us look up to him.” 

Asked what he thought Yessoufou’s strengths were, McCurs said: “He can do anything really, but it’s his ability to finish. He’s just really, really good.” 

Atascadero freshman Jacob Mucurs got dabbed then talked about watching Tounde Yessoufou / Photo: Mitch Stephens

It was not a vintage Yessoufou performance. Not like the first time the team’s met when he made all 14 of his shots en route to a 37-point outing and a 104-45 home victory. 

On Friday, Yessoufou missed a wide open layup to start the game, hit the side of the backboard with another shot, and on a dribble drive from the top of the key fumbled the ball to defender Kabelo Blais. He also lost his shoe on a pretty cross-over move and three-point miss, drawing “ooos, ahhs,” and laughter. 

The night before. …
St. Joseph Santa Maria senior and Baylor bound Tounde Yessoufou is 55 points from breaking the California state scoring career record. Now 53. Tonight he’s in Atascadero for a league game. Last outing against greyhounds he made all 14 shots and had 37. Now 51 pic.twitter.com/sMaVBu1ecK

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) February 1, 2025

When he missed the second of two free throws, the Atascadero student body started a chant of “overrated.” The first chant started strong, but clearly the students weren’t completely committed and softened the tone by the second. The public address announcer even chimed in: “That’s not the right cheer.” 

Afterward, Yessoufou noted the chant with a grin and admitted he’s heard it before. He said it neither bothers or motivates him, though after the second-quarter chant he scored 16 of his game-high total over the next 12 minutes.

St. Joseph-Santa Maria senior Tounde Yessoufou about to send up a pretty floater right before the end of the first half of his team's 67-62 win over Modesto Christian at the 2025 De La Salle MLK Classic in Concord, Calif. Yessoufou, a Baylor commit, had 25 points and 12 rebounds. / Photo: Lizeth Lafferty

Though his perimeter game has improved immensely over the last two seasons — he made just one three-pointer Friday — instead simply overpowering the much shorter Greyhounds including one monstrous breakaway dunk.  

“It makes me feel good they come out here watching and supporting me even if they’re screaming ‘over-rated,’ I don’t care,” he said with a smile. “It doesn’t make me mad because they know I’m not over-rated. Down deep, I don’t care about that, I’m here to just play basketball.” 

Dabbed, determined, one-and-done

Mucurs, one of the throngs in the student section, knows Yessoufou is not overrated. 

A Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry fan, Mucurs was asked if Yessoufou reminded him of any NBA player. 

“Honestly, he reminds me of LeBron (James),” he said. “He’s like so powerful and everything.” 

Lot of this we anticipate in 3Q. SJ hopes to get Yessoufou to 35-37 total to give him 20 to score tomorrow pic.twitter.com/DyYjw9IrOW

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) February 1, 2025

Mucurs was all smiles afterward because he had an exchange with Yessoufou, who was mobbed by dozens of students and autograph seekers during a postgame interview. 

“He dabbed me up and everything,” Mucurs said. 

Longtime Atascadero teacher and coach Christian Cooper, who stamped in patrons before the game, had encouraged varsity players to make some sort of contact with Yessoufou during the game. 

• TOUNDE CRUSHING | Yessoufou chases record at Bay Area event

“I told them to take a charge, foul him, shoot over him, anything,” Cooper said. “You can say someday you did that against a future NBA player.” 

Ranked the 14th best senior in the country by 247Sports, many project Yessoufou to be a one-and-done college player, including senior guard Mantas Rimkus, who Friday had seven first-half points. 

St. Joseph senior guard Mantas Rimkus post game interview about Tounde Yessoufou / Photo: Mitch Stephens

“He’s definitely one-and-done,” said the 6-3 guard from Lithuania. “One because of his physical talent but second because of his work ethic. The amount of time he puts into his game is amazing.” 

With so much attention given to Yessoufou breaking such a coveted record — among the dozens of famous current or former NBA players who played high school basketball in California (a list of 517 total)  include Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Bill Walton, Jason Kidd, Reggie Miller and Gary Payton, along with current perennial All-Stars James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Damian Lillard — do the Knights give him a hard time or good-natured ribbings?

“No, not really, Rimkus said. “I think we’re all just very proud of him.” 

Locked and chilled

Described by Rimkus as “locked in on the court, but a really good friend and chill off the court,” Yessoufou is easy to root for and a great representative to be at the top of the state leaderboard, which has been tracked by CalHiSports for more than 50 years. 

Said junior teammate Julius Price, a four-star guard averaging better than 20 points per game, who has played with Yessoufou for three seasons: “He’s a great kid. An extremely hard worker. He loves the game of basketball. He’s just a great, great guy.” 

Yessoufou is one of foreign student-athletes on the roster at the private school . It’s been a destination for overseas students for more than a decade. Yessoufou arrived at St. Joseph before the start of his freshman year after connecting with another Benin native Candace Kpetikou, who starred on the girls basketball team and now plays at Washington State. 

Yessoufou told Kenny Cress of the Santa Maria Times that he is in constant communication with his parents in Benin. "Always," Yessoufou said.

Santa Marita (CA) St. Joseph's Tounde Yessoufou throws down a dunk at the 2025 Hoophall Classic against Holy Innocents (GA). / Basketball HOF

Santa Maria is a growing Central Coast town of 110,000 residents in Santa Barbara County, located roughly 150 miles North of Los Angeles and 250 miles South of San Francisco. It is known for its barbecue and wine industry. 

The most famous athletes and sports personalities from the town are John Madden, former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell and perennial MLB All-Star Robin Ventura. Notable celebrities: Kathy Bates and the late Jane Russell and Gary Coleman. 

Yessoufou, who already sports a wikipedia page, had no vision of breaking Nelson’s record entering St. Joseph. He’s made no bones that his personal goals were was to improve every year to make it to the NBA. 

As far as high school goals, there’s been only one. 

“My No. 1 goal has always been to get a state championship for my school because we’ve never had one,” he said. “Individual records are meant to be broken, but to win a state championship, the banner always stays.” 

One look above his head proved that.