Butler men’s basketball has added another big body to its frontcourt with SMU transfer Yohan Traore committing to the program Friday.
Originally from Tours, France, Traore was a five-star recruit coming out of Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona. He was rated as the No. 1 player in Arizona and the No. 5 center in his class.
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The 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for SMU last season. He shot 50.4% from the field and 32.4% from 3. He made 16 starts, playing in 32 of SMU’s 35 contests. He missed three games due to injury. He had a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds against Longwood. He had nine points and five rebounds against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse Nov. 15.
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Traore began his career at Auburn, where he played in 29 games and averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game before spending his sophomore season at UC Santa Barbara. He averaged 14.5 points and 5.1 rebounds at UCSB.
Traore should compete for playing time behind Drayton Jones or next to Jones in a super-sized frontcourt lineup. He’s a capable 3-point shooter, but he does most of his work down low. He’s not necessarily a player that needs plays run for him or post-up touches, but he excels at dunking when he has good position down low and turning offensive rebounds into second-chance points.
The Bulldogs have one scholarship remaining.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Yohan Traore transfers to Butler basketball; former 5-star recruit at Auburn
