He had appeared in two previous games for AS Monaco in this, his rookie Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, but you'd be forgiven if you didn't know Yoan Makoundou's name yet. In less than 3 minutes played, Makoundou had registered no stats at all. Not even a foul.
When he entered his third game on Tuesday with Monaco down 13-24 against visiting Olympiacos Piraeus in the second quarter, Makoundou was somewhat discreet, too. But an offensive rebound and some good defense caught the eye of his coach, Sasa Obradovic, so he stayed on court until Monaco had cut the difference to 31-34 at halftime.
Then, immediately after the break, Makoundou did things that will make everyone remember his name.
A 2.07-meter forward who plays with an infectious joie de vivre, Makoundou turned 22 over the summer, shortly after signing a four-year contract with Monaco after his first three pro seasons with Cholet.
"The idea from the beginning was to bring a guy like him along, waiting for the experience he needs," Obradovic said in his post-game press conference. "When you chase the result, it's not always easy to give the chance to the young guy. Today, the situation suddenly opened and he used this in the best possible way.
"He was amazing. He entered the game with those offensive rebounds, and he completely changed the atmosphere. We started to score, to run, to defend much better."