The seventh most important player for BYU basketball this season is Fousseyni Traore.
The 6-foot-6 senior is one of the more beloved Cougars in recent memory. Last season, Traore came off the bench for most of Big 12 play after suffering a hamstring injury at the beginning of the season. He will play a very similar role as the backup center this year.
In his 2023-24 campaign, Traore was the Cougars' second-leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds on 62.6% from the field. He was also named an All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Despite his lack of size, Traore showed that he can battle against other bigs in the Big 12 with his low center of gravity, strong legs and long arms to still finish in the post. Traore and Ally Khalifa split minutes almost evenly and whoever played better late would finish the game.
“I didn't realize he was as skilled as he is,” said coach Kevin Young. “I think Khalifa got a lot of credit last year for being [an] amazing passer, but is a really good passer in his own right.”
Traore will be in a similar situation with Utah transfer Keba Keita this season. Keita is an explosive rim-running athletic specimen who pairs perfectly in the starting lineup because he can play above the rim for Young. His ability to catch lobs and defend the rim makes him the better option to start alongside Egor Demin and Dallin Hall. With Traore, Young can use him to come in and run the second unit offense as a primary scoring option in the post and a facilitator on the perimeter in BYU’s 5-out offense.
“He allows us to do some different things offensively,” said Young. "[He can] alleviate some of the pressure off our guards and play through him in that trail spot. And then he, you know, he's a load down low, right? He gets it down there. He can score it.”
Coming from the NBA, Young is an offensive tactician and will run offense to take advantage of Traore’s strengths and find mismatches for him to exploit.
Defensively, Traore is solid. He moves his feet well and does not give up any rebounds, even though he is one of the shortest centers in the country. One area Young and his staff have challenged Traore is to be a better rim protector, which he is more than capable of doing.
"I think he can do more at the rim as a rim protector being vertical," said Young. "And that's something that we've challenged him on, and I think he's accepted the challenge."
The most significant area of improvement that Traore can make this season is his pace. When Traore posts up, he is an efficient scorer, but his offensive rhythm can stall as he methodically backs down his defender. When opposing teams decide to dig at the ball or double, Traore must get the ball out of his hands quickly and cut down on turnovers. If Traore can continue to score and rebound as he has done his entire career and improve his passing, he will be in contention for the Big 12 sixth man of the year award at season's end.
The other factor that will allow Traore to have an impactful season this year is his health. Throughout his career, Traore has dealt with lingering hamstring and other soft tissue injuries. If he stays healthy, he can have his best season as a Cougar and help his team have a special season.