3,467 points — that's the number of points St. Joseph High School senior forward Tounde Yessoufou has scored in his career.
The number he had to beat to become the all-time leading scorer in California high school basketball history was 3,462.
In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Weston Ranch, Yessoufou made history with a fast break lay-up to beat the record.
“To me, it means a lot for someone that comes from Africa," Yessoufou said after the game. "I put my country on my back and show where we come from.”
Yessoufou is atop the list with the likes of past and present NBA superstars like Jason Kidd, Bill Walton, DeMar Derozan, and James Harden, most recently surpassing the previous all-time record leader Demarcus Nelson, who broke the last record in 2004.
Cal-Hi Sports Editor and Publisher Mark Tennis was there to witness Nelson's record-breaking performance 21 years ago and was there to see Yessoufou do it too.
“For this one to last 21 [years] shows how good of a player DeMarcus Nelson really, really is," Tennis said. "This night is all for [Yessoufou] and his teammates and they deserve it, and no one can ever take it away from him.”
Fans packed St. Joseph High School to watch history unfold. After breaking the record, Yessoufou was greeted with a standing ovation and a postgame celebration that included a video from teammates congratulating him as well as a nod from Nelson himself.
“This moment is one of the greatest moments," Yessoufou stated. "I believe honestly just being able to share it with my teammates, my family and everybody that came and supported me.”
Some of those in attendance included his host family, who have seen the Baylor University-bound phenom add a notch to his already full list of accomplishments, which include a recent McDonald’s All-American status.
“We're just so happy for him. He has more goals to achieve and I know he's going to get a lot," host mom Collen Kuykendall said.
As Tennis points out, records come and go but for a team out of Santa Maria to have a player stand out in the record books across the whole state, it’s a testament to not only Yessoufou but his teammates.
“North and South Bay Area, the great hotbeds of L.A., the great hotbeds of Oakland with Damian Lillard, all these guys are from, Jason Kidd, all these players and he's scored more points than all those guys,” Tennis said.
The Knights are the fifth-ranked team in the state by MaxPreps and according to Yessoufou, winning a state championship is still the ultimate goal he and his teammates still have to accomplish.
