Scott Drew addresses comparison between Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou, Anthony Edwards

Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou is the top incoming addition of the offseason in Waco. Now, with him having been on campus for a bit, Scott Drew has made a comparison for him to one of the top young players in the world.

Drew spoke highly of his five-star freshman this afternoon in an appearance on ‘The Gary Parrish Show’. That included a comp for Yessoufou to Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, starting with his level of athleticism.

“Tounde is somebody that has gotten a lot of comparisons to Anthony Edwards from the standpoint physically, very strong, very athletic. Won the McDonald’s Slam Dunk Contest,” said Drew.

Edwards, a former top prospect himself, is a lot to live up to, being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Georgia and now being a two-time selection as an All-Star and Second Team All-NBA for the ‘Wolves. Still, Drew sees some of that game in his signee with Yessoufou.

Being effective on both sides of the ball is also part of that for Yessoufou. He’s already, with his high motor, expected to be one of the better freshmen defenders but, based on his high-school resumé, is also an underrated scorer as compared to the rest of his class.

“Somebody that really values the defensive end. He can be an all-conference defender year one and that’s really rare for freshmen, because, one, to know the importance of it, two, to have the physical ability because, as you know, 18-year-olds aren’t as strong as 22 or 23-year-olds. That really, with the athleticism, separates him,” Drew said in analyzing Yessoufou. “Offensively, he’s the state of California’s all-time leading high-school scorer so you know he can get buckets.”

Yessoufou, of Santa Maria, California, played in high school at St. Joseph. He finished rated as the No. 14 overall recruit and a five-star in the 2025 recruiting cycle. That’s according to Rivals’ Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

After having the highest-selection in program history a few weeks ago with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Baylor could have another first-round, if not lottery-level, pick come the 2026 NBA Draft. If he shows everything in his game in college with the Bears and eventually going into the NBA, though, Yessoufou could possibly measure up to one of the best right now in the association in someone like Edwards.

“Really, the ability to be a two-way player and want to be a two-way player gives him a chance to be another one-and-done,” said Drew.