IOWA CITY โ Manhattan transfer Seydou Traore will commit to Iowa men's basketball, he announced on Instagram Wednesday.
Traore recently visited the Hawkeyes.
Iowa State is considering adding another scholarship player to its roster for the 2024-25 season, and it turns out Traore will be the one to get it.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Traore had a standout freshman season in Manhattan and played in 28 games for the Jaspers last season, starting all but one. He finished the season averaging 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Traore's shooting splits were 43.3% from the field, 25.6% from deep and 80% from the free throw line.
Despite his low efficiency from deep, Traore isn't afraid to let it fly and has shown the ability to make it happen. He made a career-high four 3-pointers (on 10 attempts) against Marist. He made 13 of 32 (40.6%) from deep in seven straight games in February. But as a serial shooter who had more low points than high points last season, those runs accounted for 13 of his 23 total points.
A bouncy athlete, Traore had double-digit rebounds in 10 games last season, including a 17-board performance. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. He also had 13 points and eight rebounds against the eventual national champion University Huskies.
Here's a clip of Traore flying toward the rim to throw down a one-handed hammer. His athleticism is ideal for Iowa's offensive system, which has had a lot of success in transition.
Traore also brings great upside defensively, a valuable skill for the Hawkeyes. It's no secret that Iowa State struggled on that end of the floor during the Fran McCaffery era. Traore had 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game last season.
Recently, Iowa State has tended to introduce transfers that meet several conditions. One is that they come from a non-power conference level. The other thing is that he has experience playing games at the college level. Filip Rebraca, Even Browns, Ben Kricke, and Drew Thelwell all fit that archetype.
Traore opposes one of these trends.he To do It comes from a non-power conference program. However, he only has one season of college experience. Sure, he played a fair amount that season alone, but he doesn't have the multi-season experience that Iowa State has added in other seasons. On the flip side, this also means he may not be just a season or two season rental. He said Traore has three seasons of eligibility left.
Traore is an addition to the Hawkeyes' frontcourt. Iowa lost Kricke and Patrick McCaffrey from last season's roster. Kricke, who started every game for the Hawkeyes last season, has exhausted his college eligibility. McCaffrey transferred to Butler.
The Hawkeyes return Big Ten Rookie of the Year Owen Freeman, Raji Dembele and Riley Mulvey to the Browns' frontcourt, as well as welcome back rising freshman Chris Tajo. And now Traore will help make up for the production lost by Kricke and Patrick McCaffrey.
The Hawkeyes currently have two transfer portal classes. Thelwell, another transfer from Morehead State, is providing backcourt support following the departures of Tony Perkins and Dasonte Bowen. Thelwell is the winningest player in Morehead State program history.
The Hawkeyes are also still awaiting a decision on Peyton Sandfort, who could be the most important domino for Iowa this offseason. Sandfort entered the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He has until May 29th to decide on a plan. He would be a huge loss for Iowa State if he chooses not to return to college.
more:Iowa State Basketball: Behind the scenes of Peyton Sandfort's NBA pre-draft process
Here's the latest look at the evolution of Iowa's scholarship roster with the addition of Traore.
- Outside: Ben Kricke (exhausting college eligibility), Tony Perkins (transfer portal), Dasonte Bowen (transfer portal), Patrick McCaffery (transfer portal).
- in: Chris Tajo (high school signee), Cooper Koch (high school signee), Drew Thelwell (Morehead State transfer), Seydoux Traore (Manhattan transfer).
- Returner: Josh Dix, Owen Freeman, Brock Harding, Raj Dembele, Price Sandfort, Even Browns, Riley Mulvey.
- decided: Peyton Sandfort.
Follow Tyler Tuchman on X @Tyler_T15email ttachman@gannett.com.