Sporting a plain white undershirt beneath his loose jersey, Christian Yemga '11 takes high strides up the court at last Wednesday's scrimmage against Emerson College, almost like he is jumping over invisible hurdles. But while even coach Brian Meehan calls the 6-foot, 5-inch Yemga "somewhat unorthodox," there's no denying his unique talents. As a senior at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, Yemga, originally a native of Cameroon, which borders Chad and Nigeria, was rated as one of the top 25 basketball recruits in New Hampshire by New England Basketball Recruiting Report, and the same Web site listed Brandeis' acquisition of him as one of the top 10 New England-area recruiting steals in all three divisions of college basketball.

"I think he's even improved dramatically in the first three practices," Meehan says. "We think he's just going to keep getting better, and I don't think we're even scratching the surface. If he continues to work hard, the sky's the limit."

If Yemga looks unorthodox, it's probably because he didn't start playing basketball in Cameroon until he was 13 years old. When he was younger, he was an avid soccer player, and even though his father was a former captain of the Cameroon national basketball team, he says he was never pressured into playing the game.

That all changed when he starting living with his aunt, who ran a basketball-intensive school. Yemga found he loved the game and all the people who surrounded him when he played.

"Basketball is a special sport because it's always competitive, and we use our heads more than in other sports," he says.

In order to pursue his basketball future and provide for his family, which includes six brothers, Yemga decided he needed to come to the United States. He admits it was a difficult but necessary decision.

"The main reason I'm here is to help my family," he says. "I knew it would be hard, because I didn't have any family members here, but I was ready for the challenge."

Through a family friend, he immigrated three years ago and eventually ended up at Proctor High, where he played one year alongside current University of Connecticut star Jerome Dyson. Two years and three host families later, Yemga came to Brandeis, spurred by an experience at a basketball camp with the brother of assistant coach Colin Tabb.

Yemga's best strengths might be his passing ability and his unselfishness. He only attempted one shot during the entire Wednesday scrimmage, and he passed instead of taking open shots on several occasions. Though he is one of the Judges' biggest players, he often plays on the perimeter, either passing at the top of the key or setting screens for guards.

"He's not real athletic, but he's got long arms, he's smart, he knows how to use his body and he's an excellent passer," Meehan says. "Early on, you'll probably see him [inside], but as the years go on, we can see him develop that perimeter game as well and end up being one of those guys that can hurt you in a lot of different ways."

For now, Yemga will likely struggle to find minutes behind established big men like Steve DeLuca '08, Stephen Hill '08 and Terrell Hollins '10, but that prospect doesn't bother him too much.

"I'm just here to do whatever the coach wants me to do," Yemga says. "You always learn from the older people, and there are six seniors here to teach me how to play together and how to live together.