Countdown to Practice #7: Eemeli Yalaho
Basketball practice is set to begin in seven days, on September 21, and the preseason countdown continues with a closer look at one of the players expected to matter right away.
Eemeli Yalaho, the Finnish forward some call “baby Darrion Williams” because of his Texas Tech connection with Darrion Williams, brings a familiar blend of skill and versatility. He is not the same kind of dominant scorer Williams is, but the comparison comes from the similarities in how they play.
Yalaho is originally from Jyväskylä, Finland. He spent his freshman season at Texas Tech, sat out most of his sophomore year because of an injury, and transferred to Washington State last season.
He is listed at 6’8” and 235 pounds, though that number may be closer to 220. He plays forward and produced 10.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He shot 47% overall, 39.8% from 3-point range on 51-for-128 shooting, and 79.7% from the line.
The deeper numbers point to a player who brings real value without needing constant touches. He does not demand the ball, yet he still gives you double figures.
His true shooting percentage was 61%, which marks him as a high-quality shooter. His assist percentage lands in the 53rd percentile overall, but among forwards that rises to the 73rd percentile.
He also gets 18.2% of his points from offensive rebounding, and his shooting is solid across the board.
There are areas where the numbers are less impressive. His points in the paint sit in the 33rd percentile, and when compared only with forwards that drops to the 14th percentile.
Even with that, the expectations are clear: Yalaho is a very good basketball player, and he is set to start at forward and play a critical role for this team. The buzz from summer workouts is that he has lost about 20 pounds, and that shows in his spring and quickness. His outside shooting gives him the kind of floor-spacing ability that forces defenses to stay honest, because if they lose him, they pay for it.
That matters in the way this offense is expected to work. The Wolfpack will move the ball around the perimeter, and if any of the four players, including EY, gets daylight, the shot will go up. McNeil will be a major point of emphasis for every defense, and if Yalaho’s defender helps on McNeil, Yalaho will make them pay.
His rebounding also stands out. Last season, he averaged 1.6 offensive rebounds per game, which would have ranked second on the Wolfpack.
He is quick enough to beat a defender on a late close-out and finish at the basket. In pick-and-roll situations, he creates a problem either way: if defenders drop to cover the roller, he averages 43% from 3-point range when unguarded.
If they stay attached to Yalaho, then Evans or Lubin should have a lane to the basket.
Defensively, he brings value too. He is a strong one-on-one defender, a high-energy rebounder, and he boxes out well.
The main reason his minutes are not projected even higher is simple: he will be splitting time at forward with Lubin.
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What makes Keene interesting is the possibility that his role could be defined before he ever steps into a major one. The early read is that he projects as a defensive specialist and 3-point threat behind the starting wings, which would give NC State a different kind of depth than it has had in recent seasons. If that profile holds, the real question becomes how quickly he can turn those tools into trustworthy minutes when the rotation starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
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NC State answered a frustrating loss to Virginia with a runaway performance that looked like the kind of reset a program can use early in a season. The Wolfpack rolled past Richmond 73-0, piling up record-setting numbers in total offense yards and touchdowns while giving fans a far better snapshot of what the offense can do when everything clicks.
Even so, the reaction around the result was not all celebration. Some fans were encouraged by the sheer dominance, but others were hesitant to read too much into it because Richmond is an FCS opponent, and the blowout only sharpened the bigger question hanging over the Wolfpack: whether this kind of performance can translate once the schedule stiffens again. [Read more 🡒]