Hard work pays off for 'Ash' and 'Shay'
Long Island Lutheran's Achraf Yacoubou recieves an award after their game with Saint Mary's at the 2010-2011 NYS Federation Basketball Championships in Albany N.Y. (March 26, 2011) Credit: Jillian Lifson
ALBANY -- Both are shooting guards from the city who became high school stars at Nassau private schools. Both will play Division I college basketball. Both have uncommon first names and uncommonly versatile skill sets.
But what really distinguishes Achraf Yacoubou of Long Island Lutheran by way of the Bronx and Chavaughn Lewis of St. Mary's by way of Queens from other top talents is that they aren't afraid to put on the hard hat. A major reason the Crusaders faced the Gaels in an all-Long Island state Federation Class A championship game Saturday night is that their best player willingly did the dirty work.
"He does what we need him to do," is how Lutheran coach John Buck described the 6-5 Yacoubou after Friday night's semifinal victory over four-time state public school champion Jamesville DeWitt. "He can shoot, dribble, rebound, guard a center and guard a point guard."
In that game, "Ash" scored 19 points, including 10 in a key third-quarter stretch, added five rebounds, two assists, four steals and, perhaps most importantly, did a game-altering defensive job on 6-10 blue chip junior Dajuan Coleman.
Similarly, the 6-3 Lewis came up big defensively against 6-7 Enees Nikovic when St. Mary's broke open their semifinal against Midwood. "He played both sides of the ball," Gaels coach Bill Harkins said. "He did a great job defensively on No. 50 [Nikovic] and then on No. 24 . The steals, the blocks, the rebounds, the points. What stat box didn't he fill?"
Lewis had 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals. According to Harkins, "Shay" has received scholarship offers from mid-majors Hofstra, Marist, Siena, New Hampshire and Central Connecticut. He will decide soon. Yacoubou didn't have to wait on his college choice, accepting a scholarship offer from Villanova after his sophomore year.
They were matched against each other at times Saturday night in the final game of both players' exemplary high school careers. They leave matching legacies: white-collar star status; blue-collar work ethic; urban roots that sprouted on a suburban stage.
