2022 5* Big Yohan Traore Signs With AU!!!

[SumterAubie 3,031]

But can he shoot make the three? 😆

[tgrogan21 6,198]

 

[JDUBB4AU 5,121]

Huge win here. Way to go staff 

[abw0004 10,113]

Welcome to the Family, Yohan!

[CT Tiger 136]

Where should this put us on the 247 2022 recruiting team rankings?

[AuburnAlumFromThe423 84]

8 minutes ago, CT Tiger said:

Where should this put us on the 247 2022 recruiting team rankings?

AL.com says we jumped from 36th to 12th after this pickup (does not mention which scouting service). 3rd in the SEC behind Arkansas and Bammer

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,669]

3 minutes ago, AuburnAlumFromThe423 said:

AL.com says we jumped from 36th to 12th after this pickup (does not mention which scouting service). 3rd in the SEC behind Arkansas and Bammer

247

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

For those of you asking about his skills and handle, I haven't seen a ton, but I love what I have seen. He is not the shooter that JS is, but neither are most. He is a scorer though. HE has better ball handling than JB and knows how to use his body in the paint very well. It looks like he can shoot the 3 ball decently as well for a big man. LOVE LOVE LOVE this pickup.

[GTNupe11 2,034]

3 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I dunno how great his handle is, but having guardlike instincts at 7 feet tall is always nice 

 

Much better than Jabari's. That's the only thing Jabari needs to work on. Otherwise he is damn near perfect from a skillset standpoint. It was great watching that kid this year. 

[ellitor 33,093]

4 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER BROTHER!!!!!! lol 

[ellitor 33,093]

11 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

247

And on3 which is the only site now that uses all sites in their census rankings.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,669]

8 hours ago, GTNupe11 said:

 

Much better than Jabari's. That's the only thing Jabari needs to work on. Otherwise he is damn near perfect from a skillset standpoint. It was great watching that kid this year. 

By all accounts, he certainly seems to have one you should be confident in, I just don’t know what it looks like if he’s getting pressured. That’s the one thing you lose in highlights 

I think he also seems very good at using his body, which should help in shielding the ball 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,669]

You make either combination work happily, but Jabari + Traore excites me a bit more than Kessler + Traore, if either were on the table 

but Kessler/Yohan is very interesting defensively. 7’3 wingspan + 7’5 wingspan and I think Yohan can comfortably switch out on 3s and 5s. It SHOULD be way harder to get the ball in the paint at all (passing, penetration) between Westry and this kid’s length 

[aubiefifty 16,791]

What commitment of 2022 5-star big man Yohan Traore means for Auburn hoops

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

7-9 minutes

---

As it turns out, a tiger can change its stripes.

Auburn learned as much Thursday, when it picked up a commitment from former LSU commit Yohan Traore, a five-star big man rated as the No. 15 player in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Traore, who decommitted from LSU earlier this month, announced his decision to come to the Plains on his social media platforms.

Traore chose Auburn from a final four that also included Gonzaga, Texas Tech and Michigan.

“It was a hard decision to make, but I can only call one place home,” Traore posted on Instagram. “My journey has been a long one with various changes that have occurred. I have had my ups and downs but stayed faith(ful) to GOD and my grind and have persevered but have so much more to accomplish.... I am thrilled to announce I will be committing to Auburn University. WAR EAGLE.”

Traore is now the third member of Auburn’s 2022 recruiting class, joining four-star wing Chance Westry and three-star point guard Tre Donaldson (who will also play defensive back for Bryan Harsin’s football team this fall). The class, which entered the day ranked 36th nationally and sixth in the SEC, jumped to 12th in the country — tied with Villanova — and third in the SEC (behind Arkansas and Alabama) following Traore’s commitment.

The commitment of Traore, who was born and raised in France, does more than just buoy Auburn’s 2022 recruiting class; it alters the outlook for the Tigers’ frontcourt heading into next season.

Auburn had the best frontcourt in program history and arguably the best in the nation this season, as freshman phenom Jabari Smith and North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler helped guide the Tigers to an SEC regular-season title — going wire-to-wire in the league standings — as well as the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking, a 19-game winning streak and ultimately a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While that talented frontcourt fell short in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — both Smith and Kessler turning in their worst performances of the season at the most inopportune time, against Miami in the Round of 32 — one performance shouldn’t take away from what the duo accomplished this past season.

Both Smith and Kessler turned in All-America seasons, with Smith becoming the program’s second-ever consensus All-American. Smith was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year, as well as National Freshman of the Year by the NABC and USBWA after averaging 16.9 points (on 42.9 percent shooting, including 42 percent from 3-point range) and 7.4 rebounds per game. Kessler, meanwhile, was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and took home NABC Defensive Player of the Year honors this week. He averaged 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game, leading the nation in blocks (155), blocks per game and block rate (19.1 percent), as well as in defensive box plus/minus (8.0).

That frontcourt was never likely to have more than one season together, though. Smith, the highest-rated signee in Auburn history, was always projected as a one-and-done prospect — as Bruce Pearl’s program has reached the point of those being a regular occurrence (Isaac Okoro in 2020, Sharife Cooper and JT Thor in 2021). The 6-foot-10 wunderkind is widely viewed as a top-three pick in this summer’s NBA Draft and could potentially go No. 1 overall, though he has yet to make an official declaration and was noncommittal about his future in the wake of Auburn’s second-round exit nearly two weeks ago.

Kessler’s projections range from potential lottery pick to possible mid- to late-first round selection after developing into a two-way star this season and the nation’s best player around the rim on either side of the court. He has yet to make an announcement about his future, though it should be noted Pearl has never been the type of coach to dissuade a potential first-rounder from turning pro.

Should both Smith and Kessler declare for the NBA Draft, Traore provides Auburn with an ideal replacement who can slot in alongside Jaylin Williams — the rising senior whom Pearl said he was “excited to build it next year around” — in the Tigers’ frontcourt.

Traore is listed as a center in the 247Sports database, but at 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds, he has the size and athleticism to play either position in the frontcourt and has described himself as a stretch-four. He doesn’t have quite the sharpshooting ability of Smith — a gifted 3-pointer shooter at his size and the best jump-shooter Pearl has ever coached — but Traore can still face up and stretch the floor when needed with a quality stroke from 15 feet and beyond. He needs to get stronger with his back to the basket, but he appears to be at his best when attacking the rim, either as a diver off high screens or off the dribble as a ball-handler, with the ability to finish with authority and finesse. Defensively, he has the footwork and quickness to switch onto the perimeter when necessary but also has the length and instincts to affect shots around the rim — though probably not at the level of Kessler, who finished this season with the best block rate in Division I in at least a dozen years.

Traore is expected to start out his career at center for Auburn, playing alongside Williams, but his long-term future could be at power forward as a stretch-four with potential as an elite inside-out defender with a really good shooting touch and feel for things on the offensive end.

Originally from Tours, France, (just outside of Paris), Traore first grew up playing soccer before falling in love with basketball when he was about 7 years old. He moved to Paris at 14 to play for INSEP (the National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance) and further grow his game. He moved to the United States two years ago, spending his junior season at Prolific Prep in California before transferring to Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ariz., for his senior year. Traore began to blow up last summer, when he turned heads on the adidas 3SSB circuit, averaging 25 points and 14 rebounds per game for Dream Vision, according to Sports Illustrated.

He committed to LSU on Jan. 30, but he backed off that pledge earlier this month after the firing of head coach Will Wade, which was part of the fallout from the notice of allegations the program received from the NCAA stemming from the 2017 FBI investigation that rocked the sport. It didn’t take long for Auburn to soar into the picture, with Traore quietly taking an unofficial visit to the Plains shortly thereafter and naming a top four of Auburn, Gonzaga, Texas Tech and Michigan last week.

Now he’s firmly on board with Auburn as Pearl’s program looks to sustain the success from this season, even if the Tigers lose a pair of All-Americans in the frontcourt.

Traore is still developing his game, but he has the frame, skillset and athleticism to be an impact freshman for Auburn next season. He’s the second-highest rated player to sign with the Tigers in program history, behind only Smith, which should say something about the level of talent he brings to the Plains.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[augolf1716 21,153]

Decent pick up

[aubiefifty 16,791]

6 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Decent pick up

you sound like he stiffed you on a date or something. grins

[JFDTiger80 790]

It's way too early, but I just watched a 1 minute video highlight on Yohan and my gosh, he can dribble like a guard. He actually reminds me of Giannis, crazy I know. Kid is a stud. He finishes above the rim and has touch. We are going to love him in orange and blue.

Edited April 1, 2022 by JFDTiger80
correction made

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 hour ago, augolf1716 said:

Decent pick up

I been waiting on this one lol

[AuburnNTexas 7,148]

His shot is not as sweet as Jabari's but not many are but it is a nice shot. His ball handling is better than Jabari and he has a huge wingspan for a guy 6'10".  He will score more around the basket then Jabari both with drives and using his body well inside. We need one more big man be it Kessler or another player plus a lights out SG. Westry intrigues me as both a SF/SG but until I see him against college players it is hard to say.. If Flanigan returns to form and Westry meets expectations we will have a really good team next year with Traore. I believe Westry is Cambridge with a better shot but not as explosive as Cambridge but plays more under control the Cambridge. 

Taore and Westry both appear to have a Mid-range game which Auburn really needs.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

4 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

You make either combination work happily, but Jabari + Traore excites me a bit more than Kessler + Traore, if either were on the table 

but Kessler/Yohan is very interesting defensively. 7’3 wingspan + 7’5 wingspan and I think Yohan can comfortably switch out on 3s and 5s. It SHOULD be way harder to get the ball in the paint at all (passing, penetration) between Westry and this kid’s length 

How about we just keep Jabari and Kessler and play a super tall line-up?

Could you imagine having to play if Kessler was the 5, Jabari the 4, and Traore the 3?

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

What Bruce has done is truly amazing. As it looks right now, AU will have 2 of its highest rated all time signees on the team at the same time. Yohan is #2 and Westry is #5

[augolf1716 21,153]

1 hour ago, Maverick.AU said:

What Bruce has done is truly amazing. As it looks right now, AU will have 2 of its highest rated all time signees on the team at the same time. Yohan is #2 and Westry is #5

it's unthinkable what he has accomplished

[arein0 956]

18 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I dunno how great his handle is, but having guardlike instincts at 7 feet tall is always nice 

Wasnt Anthony Davis similar in that he grew up as a guard and had a late growth spurt to put him at 7'

[GTNupe11 2,034]

2 hours ago, tgrogan21 said:

How about we just keep Jabari and Kessler and play a super tall line-up?

Could you imagine having to play if Kessler was the 5, Jabari the 4, and Traore the 3?

That would almost be unfair. And I would love to see it...

[IronMan70 3,277]

Excellent pickup. Pearl is keeping the momentum going.