Though raw, Villanova freshman Mouphtaou Yarou showed last night that he can defend, rebound and block out distractions.
The 6-foot-10 center contributed six points, three rebounds and a blocked shot as the fifth-ranked Wildcats registered an 84-61 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson in their season opener at the Pavilion.
Yarou looked nothing like someone who had been dealing with a lingering controversy over his age, and when he wasn't hustling against the Knights, also playing their first game, he was encouraging teammates.
Perhaps that's because after a two-day investigation, the NCAA on Thursday stood by Yarou's prior eligibility clearance. It was a clearance that was called into question Tuesday in an online article in Sporting News Today.
"It's not really a big deal, because I already know who I am and my age," said Yarou, who is from the West African nation of Benin. "I'm 19 years old. So it's not really a big thing.
"The school said they have taken care of everything."
The article reported that a "Mouphtaou Monra Yarou" was listed on a FIBA Web site - FIBA is basketball's international governing body - as a 23-year-old player in the 2007 Africa Cup tourney. That would have made him 25 now. Most or all of Yarou's eligibility could have been exhausted if he actually was 25.
"I didn't play in that tournament," said Yarou, who added he didn't even know about the tourney.
He did admit to classmates poking fun at him after the article was released.
As a precaution, Villanova gathered his passport, naturalization papers and international student athlete form on Wednesday to present to the NCAA a second time. All three list his birth date as June 26, 1990, making him 19.
"They looked at our information," Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro said. "We gathered another piece of information, which was his birth certificate, before we even talked to them about him. . . . So basically they said, 'We certified him. We stand by the certification.' "
Last night, Corey Stokes, the Wildcats' 6-5 junior guard, scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to spark the win. He had five three-pointers to tie a career high, and four of those threes came after intermission.
Before Stokes' second-half outburst, stubborn Fairleigh Dickinson managed to go ahead at one point, 30-27, thanks to a jumper by Franklin Learning Center product Mike Scott with 4 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first half.
Villanova eventually went into the break ahead, 35-34, and with Stokes leading the way, the Wildcats built a comfortable lead late in the game. His fourth three-pointer gave Villanova a 59-45 advantage with 11:50 remaining.
Junior guard Corey Fisher was the Wildcats' other double-digit scorer with 13 points to go with four assists and four rebounds.
Senior guard Scottie Reynolds struggled, scoring eight points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Junior guard Terence Grier led the Knights with 17 points. Scott, a junior point guard, added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
FDU shoot 40.9 percent for the game compared to 34.6 by Villanova.
Contact staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-8029 or kpompey@phillynews.com.
