The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
East Catholic’s Knowling highlights Yale recruiting class
The Yale men’s basketball program announced its incoming class this week.
The Bulldogs, winners of four Ivy League titles over the past six seasons, will add five freshmen. Coach James Jones’ team includes one state player: East Catholic forward Matt Knowling of Ellington.
A rundown of the future
Bulldogs:
YUSSIF BASA-AMA, FORWARD
Ht./Wt.: 6-foot-8, 200 pounds
Hometown: Bolgatanga,
Ghana
School: Saint Andrew’s School (Boca Raton, Fla.)
Highlights: Florida Mr. Basketball finalist. … 2020
Class 3A Player of the Year. … Named a Class 3A firstteam all-state selection by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches… 2020 Palm Beach Most Valuable Player. … Selected as a county First Five as both a junior and senior. … Averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks at Saint Andrew’s. … Scored more than 1,000 career points. … Helped lead Saint Andrew’s to the Florida state championship as a senior. Personal: Left Ghana at age of 11 . ... Started playing basketball in eighth grade. Basa-Ama: “When it came to choosing the college I wanted to attend, the advice I kept getting was do I have a four-year plan or a 40-year plan.”
Jones: “Yussif is a long athletic post who has skills to score at the basket or on the perimeter. He has a great passing touch and a great motor that will fit well with our transition game.”
EMIR BUYUKHANLI, GUARD
Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 210
Hometown: Ankara, Turkey
School: Ted Ankara College Foundation
Highlights: Averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists and helped lead his team to a third-place finish. … Played in the under-19 Turkish League and averaged 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2018-19. … In 2016-17 helped under-16 team to a secondplace finish in the Turkish championship.
Personal: Guitar player in a jazz/blues band and also a bass player. … Launching a website that provides children in need with sports equipment.
Buyukhanli: “It has always been my dream to study and play basketball at an Ivy League school, and Yale is known for its great basketball team and academics. More importantly, the positive attitude of Coach Jones and Coach (Matt) Kingsley made me feel that they really understood my game and really wanted me to go there and play for their team.”
Jones: “Emir has kind of a throwback game. He plays at a good pace but is always calm and under control. He has a great feel for ball screen options and making the right plays for himself and his teammates.”
YASSINE GHARRAM, GUARD
Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 185
Hometown: San Diego
School: Foothills Christian High School
AAU: Played for the Compton Magic Elite, which was ranked in the top five nationally.
Highlights: Point guard averaged 19.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists at Foothills Christian. … Scored 1,886 career points, which is third in school history behind only T.J. Leaf, who went on to play for the Indiana Pacers, and Troy Leaf, who played at UCSB and Azusa Pacific. … Named to 2020 Scorebooklive All-CIF first team. … Four-time first-team Coastal League selection. … Selected to San Diego Union Tribune All-Academic team twice. … Helped lead Foothills Christian to three Coastal League championships.
Personal: Born in Morocco. … Avid fisherman. … Volunteered at Ronald McDonald House.
Gharram: “First and foremost because of the lifechanging experience that it will be for me and my family. When I stepped foot on campus everyone around me was so welcoming and it felt like home right away.” Jones: “Yassine is a heady point guard with great ball skills and a high basketball IQ. He makes everyone around him better, is an extremely hard worker and can score on all levels of the game.”
LUKE KOLAJA, FORWARD
Ht./Wt.: 6-8, 225
Hometown: Montclair, N.J.
School: Blair Academy
AAU: Played for the PSA Cardinals and NJ Force.
Highlights: Helped Blair claim the Mid Atlantic Prep League and NJSIAA Prep A championships. … Averaged 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. … Transferred to Blair from Montclair Kimberley before his junior year.
Personal: Volunteered for Manna food bank for a number of years as well as a soup kitchen in Montclair. … Avid bowler.
Kolaja: “I chose Yale firstly because of its incredible academics but also because of its repeated success in basketball.”
Jones: “Luke is a big, strong power forward, who has developed physically over the last year. He has very soft hands with great feel and touch and scores outside and inside the arc.”
MATT KNOWLING, FORWARD
Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 195
Hometown: Ellington
School: East Catholic (Manchester)
AAU: Played for the Middlesex Magic, which won an HGSL championship. … Named to All-HGSL team.
Highlights: 2020 Connecticut Player of the Year. … Two-time all-state and all-conference selection. … Averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. … Scored more than 1,000 points in his career. … Helped East Catholic to a 101-5 record and the 2019 state championship during his career. … Team also won three conference titles and was ranked No. 1 in Connecticut in 2019 and 2020.
Personal: Volunteered at youth basketball camps and at Jubilee Celebrations at St. Patrick/St. Anthony Church in Hartford. … Made two trips to China with his basketball team.
Knowling: “I made a 40year, not a four-year commitment by choosing Yale. The connections I will make on and off the court will serve me personally and professionally for the rest of my life. Everything that Yale has to offer fits me academically and athletically.”
Jones: “Matt is a tough, strong perimeter player who is all about making his teammates better. He is extremely athletic with a nose for the ball and can play multiple positions.”