Tag: Yohan Traore

Former Auburn forward Yohan Traore finding footing at Santa Barbara

Former Auburn Tiger and Top 25 prospect Yohan Traore is finding his footing at Santa Barbara in the Big West.

It was a big deal when the Auburn Tigers landed coveted five-star prospect Yohan Traore, a 6-10 center from Prolific Prep who was ranked No. 24 in the Class of 2022 at 247Sports.

However, Traore’s freshman year under coach Bruce Pearl did not go according to plan. Traore appeared in 25 games for the Tigers but he only played about 10 minutes per night, averaging just 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game and not even scoring in his final six games.

Traore unsurprisingly entered the transfer portal, hoping for a fresh start, and was given that chance across the country in the Big West at UC-Santa Barbara, a quietly excellent mid-major program that has made the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three years under coach Joe Pasternack.

The move is clearly paying off, as Traore posted his second straight excellent performance for the Gauchos on Thursday – dropping a career-high 25 points on 10-14 shooting in a loss to UC-Davis.

This comes after a 24 point performance on 8-10 shooting against Howard back on December 20, and raises his season average to 16.6 points on a blistering 65.6% from the field.

Traore isn’t bringing much else to the table, with only two assists, two blocks, and zero steals in 10 games and 257 minutes, and his 56.1% mark from the free throw line is less than ideal.

Still, the big man is starting to find the potential he flashed in high school, and paired with an elite NBA caliber point guard in Ajay Mitchell it would not be a surprise to see him turning serious heads throughout Big West play and potentially in the NCAA Tournament.

Yohan Traore announces transfer destination

The former five-star guard has announced that he is heading west.

A busy week continues for Auburn basketball, as a member of the 2022-23 roster has announced his next move.

[autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag], a member of Auburn’s 2022 signing class, has announced that he will be heading west by committing to UC Santa Barbara. Joe Tipton of On3 was the first to report the news.

Traore announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on March 28 after spending just one season on the Plains. He signed with Auburn as a five-star center from Glendale, Arizona, but did not see much as much action as anticipated during his debut season. He played in 25 games last season, with his longest outing being 22 minutes in Auburn’s 85-64 win over Bradley during the Cancun Challenge last November. In his last 13 appearances, he played over 10 minutes just once.

While in the portal, Traore garnered interest from several power six programs such as Alabama, LSU, Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma.

In his lone season at Auburn, Traore averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, while playing an average of 9.8 minutes. He is the third player from Auburn’s 2022-23 roster to commit to another program from the transfer portal, joining [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] (Syracuse), and [autotag]Chandler Leopard[/autotag] (Samford).

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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UAH transfer Chaney Johnson sets Auburn visit

He was the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year last season.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers are continuing to work the transfer portal and will reportedly be getting a target on campus for a visit.

University of Alabama-Huntsville [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] is set to visit the Plains Friday according to Christain Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

Johnson is from Alabaster, Alabama, and was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. The forward is a career 37.2% shooter from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder projects mostly at the four and could also spend some time at the three in certain lineups. This would allow him to provide depth at the four with [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], filling the gap left behind by [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] entering the transfer portal.

Johnson actually played against Auburn last season in an exhibition game before the season and played well, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Auburn has already landed one transfer in guard Denver Jones, who averaged 20.1 points last season for FIU.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

5 players Porter Moser and OU hoops should consider via the transfer portal

A look at a few names the Oklahoma Sooners are targeting in the transfer portal and a couple more they should make a run at.

Oklahoma basketball is experiencing a retooling following consecutive years with no NCAA tournament berths. This year’s Sooners finished last in the Big 12 and, along with Texas Tech, were the only teams from the conference that didn’t make the tourney.

Those results have likely made Porter Moser’s seat somewhat warm, as making the NCAA Tournament is a fairly reasonable bar for most Power Five programs. Oklahoma has a reasonably strong history of basketball success as a program but has never won a national title.

No one expects Porter Moser to turn Oklahoma into the second coming of Coach K and Duke. Still, consistent tournament appearances and fighting for the Big 12 crown seem reasonable.

The blowback from two consecutive seasons of missed postseasons has been evident. [autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Groves[/autotag], Benny Schröder, Joe Bamisile, Bijan Cortes, and [autotag]C.J. Noland[/autotag] are all no longer with the team after entering the transfer portal. Noland committed to Saint Louis, while Schröder landed with George Washington.

These departures also combine with Grant Sherfield’s decision to pursue NBA opportunities. At the same time, Tanner Groves has decided to move on from college basketball entirely after graduating.

As it stands, Oklahoma has lost eight players this offseason, with six of those players logging starter or significant bench minutes. Oklahoma essentially needs a brand-new team. They bring in two four-star prospects in Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole, but that won’t be enough especially considering they are true freshmen.

The transfer portal is the only way to rebuild this roster, and we have a few targets Oklahoma should look at.

Chance Westry has heard from a plethora of programs, including three SEC schools

One of the 2022 cycle’s hottest prospects has become quite popular in the transfer portal market.

Auburn basketball fans were surprised to learn that prized 2022 signees, [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], announced their decision to enter the transfer portal after just one season on the Plains.

Not long after entering the portal, it was reported that the former five-star center Traore had heard from 11 programs, which included Auburn’s biggest rival, Alabama. It is now being reported that Traore’s recruiting classmate is receiving the same treatment.

Dushawn London of 247Sports says that Westry has also heard from 11 programs regarding the potential to join the roster. Among those programs are Final Four participant Miami, as well as three SEC programs in Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi State.

Westry was expected to be a key contributor for Auburn this season after an impressive summer tour in Israel, where he averaged 10.3 points per game. However, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, and never truly got back to where he was in Israel.

He appeared in 11 games this season but was shut down following Auburn’s game at Georgia in early January. Prior to Auburn’s stay in the NCAA Tournament last month, Westry said that he was working hard to become better so that he can perform up to his level of expectation next season.

“It’s been pretty hard, you know because I’m not out there playing,” Westry said. “Seeing everything and also being the player that I am, I want to go out there and try to fix some things, but it’s been hard. I’ve been getting stronger every day… and getting ready for next year so I can be out there myself.”

Out of high school, Westry was a four-star combo guard out of Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona. He was Arizona’s No. 3 ranked player according to 247Sports, and the No. 12 ranked player at his position nationally.

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Transfer Portal: Akingbola, Leopard are the latest players to hop in

The number of total departures from last season’s roster is up to six.

A week after the news of highly regarded freshmen [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] entering the transfer portal, two more members of the 2023-24 roster declared their intention to transfer.

Seniors [autotag]Chandler Leopard[/autotag] and [autotag]Babatunde Akingbola[/autotag] announced this week they plan to transfer from Auburn, doing so as graduates from the university.

News of Leopard’s decision was broken on Tuesday by Verbal Commits on Twitter. Leopard, a native of Athens, played in 18 games during his three seasons on the Plains, totaling 22 minutes. Last season, his biggest moment came in Auburn’s 89-56 win over Missouri on Valentine’s Day, when he recorded a rebound in the late moments of the second half.

Akingbola, affectionately known as “Stretch,” became the latest Tiger to announce he will seek another year of eligibility elsewhere on Thursday. In an announcement on Twitter, Akingbola thanked the coaching staff as well as Auburn fans before indicating he planned to graduate during the summer.

“I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for me,” Akingbola said in the tweet.

The 6-foot-10 center from Nigeria played in 50 games over the last four years for Auburn; the 2020-21 season was his most productive. That season, he appeared in 27 games, averaging 11 minutes of action. He pulled down 69 rebounds, and shot 47% from the field.

With the departure of Akingbola and Leopard, Auburn’s total of known departures is up to six players. Four members have entered their name into the transfer portal. Wendell Green Jr. announced this week he is preparing for the NBA draft. The only player who is out of eligibility is guard [autotag]Zep Jasper[/autotag].

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Wendell Green Jr. makes decision regarding his future with Auburn basketball

It appears that Green will be preparing for another chapter of his basketball career.

Another Tiger has made a decision regarding their future with the program.

Nearly a week after freshmen [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] announced their decision to test the transfer portal waters, point guard [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] has made an important decision regarding his next step.

In a tweet published on Sunday, Green revealed that he will begin his professional career by declaring for the NBA Draft. Green shared his appreciation for several people in his announcement.

It has been a great honor to play for Auburn University for the past few seasons. Thank you to the coaching and training staff  for your guidance, advice, and leadership. I would also like to thank my teammates and everyone who has played a role in helping me get to where I am today. I would like to announce that I will be starting my professional career and declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft.

Green appeared in 68 games in two seasons at Auburn after transferring in from Eastern Kentucky. In 2022-23, Green started in all 34 games as the Tigers’ point guard. He leaves Auburn after averaging 13.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Green looks to push Auburn’s streak of having an NBA draft pick to five years and looks to become the first Tiger chosen in the draft since [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] were both drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft.

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Multiple SEC programs have reached out to Yohan Traore

Traore entered the transfer portal on March 28, and two Auburn rivals are among the list of programs who have contacted him.

As a five-star center that ranked in the top 25 of the 2022 recruiting cycle, it is easy to see why Auburn was elated to receive the signature of [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag].

As he begins to explore more opportunities within the transfer portal, it is also easy to see why many programs are making the most of their second chance.

Traore entered the transfer portal on March 28 following his freshman campaign and has already heard from 11 programs. Among those that have reached out are two SEC rivals of Auburn — Alabama and LSU.

According to recruiting analyst Andrew Slater, Traore has also heard from Oklahoma, TCU, Saint Louis, Memphis, Arizona State, Cincinnati, NC State, DePaul, and UC Santa Barbara in addition to Alabama and LSU.

Traore, along with [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], announced their plans to depart Auburn following their freshman seasons. Traore appeared in 25 games this season and averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds.

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Former Auburn Tiger Yohan Traore receiving interest from Nate Oats, Alabama

Alabama showing interest in a former Auburn Tiger!

Although the 2022-23 college basketball season ended on a bit of a disappointing note for [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide, the offseason mania has already begun. It is officially transfer portal season!

Alabama has already lost one and added one via the portal this week, but I do not expect that to be the end of the road for Oats and Tide when it comes to portal departures or additions.

On Friday, it was reported that coach Oats and Alabama have reached out with interest to former Auburn Tiger five-star prospect Yohan Traore.

Traore spent his freshman season with Auburn by way of France but the 6’10” forward averaged just 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

While his production was not that great for the Tigers, Traore’s upside is extremely high and he would be a valuable addition for coach Oats and the Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Auburn has reached out to Washington State transfer TJ Bamba

Auburn is one of over a dozen schools that is in contact with TJ Bamba.

With just four teams left alive in college basketball the transfer portal is once again starting to fill up. Auburn fans saw that on Tuesday as both [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] and [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] decided to enter the portal.

It was fully expected that Auburn will lose several players to the portal each off-season but they are also expected to add players, something [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] has shown a knack for doing.

The Tigers have already reached out to several players and have now reportedly reached out to former Washington State Cougar TJ Bamba, according to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton.

Bamba announced his intentions to enter the 2023 NBA draft but retain his college eligibility and enter the transfer portal earlier in March.

The junior guard averaged 15.8 points and 3.7 rebounds last season, making 31 starts. He shot 42.6% from the field and made 37.2% of his shots from 3-point range for the Cougars.

The Denver, Colorado native has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and at 6-foot-5 and 210-pounds he fits the bill as a bigger guard that Auburn is reportedly looking for.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.