EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – Despite it being late in the recruitment cycle, University of Southern Indiana men’s head basketball coach Stan Gouard’s patience paid off when the Screaming Eagles landed Oral Roberts transfer Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams.

“He’s just you know is a guy that we saw play a while back and we was well aware of what he can do,” said Gouard. “And he was always our first choice, we thought we lost him, and he resurfaced and here we are.”

Yamanouchi-Williams made his first appearance at USI offseason workouts Wednesday during the team’s third week of practice.

This is the fifth stop for the big man from Japan who figures to play a role in a packed front court for Southern Indiana as they look to play bigger this season. But even with the number of post players on the team, it is was opportunity that neither side was willing to pass up.

Yamanouchi-Williams said, “I just felt like it was the best opportunity for me. You know it’s my last year so I wanted to make sure I go to a spot where I can trust the coaches and also you know get some playing time as well.”

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