A native of Benin, Yessoufou moved to the United States just prior to starting his freshman year to play basketball at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California, and stayed with a host family.
[1] He arrived at the school because his friend and fellow Benin native, Candace Kpetikou, played for the St. Joseph girls' basketball team.
[1] In his high school debut against Pioneer Valley, Yessoufou scored 20 points before ending the game on a backboard-breaking third-quarter dunk.
[9] Yessoufou led the Knights to the CIF Central Section Division I title, scoring 16 points in the championship game victory over Clovis West.
[10] Yessoufou contributed 29 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the CIF NorCal Open Division semifinals; St. Joseph defeated Dougherty Valley 87–76.