BYU Freshman Fousseyni Traore Practices On Minutes Restriction

PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball freshman Fousseyni Traore quickly emerged as a significant contributor this season for the Cougars. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound forward from Bamako, Mali, has been dealing with an injury since the win against Oregon on November 16.

Around the 4:33 mark of the 2nd half, Oregon’s Rivaldo Soares was diving out for a loose ball and he made contact with Traore’s lower half, causing the freshman to limp off the floor.

Mark Pope on Fousseyni Traore's potential: "He doesn't know what he doesn't know yet…He's gonna be a big time player." #BYUhoops #GoCougs

📸: @BYUphoto pic.twitter.com/1kTtafRnOc

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 10, 2021

He missed BYU’s win over Central Methodist this past Saturday. Still, head coach Mark Pope hopes to have his freshman sensation back in the rotation this week for Texas Southern on Wednesday (7 p.m., BYUtv & KSL NewsRadio), then rival Utah on Saturday.

Latest on Fousseyni Traore after Tuesday’s practice

Traore participated in Tuesday’s practice, but it was on a minutes restriction. Members of the local media that cover BYU were able to watch practice. Traore was in the mix with BYU’s second unit, the group he’s been part of this season.

“We shut him down maybe two-thirds of the way through practice,” said Pope on Traore after Tuesday’s practice. “I’m going to know more [about his availability] based on how he feels in the morning. Right? So he practiced for 20 minutes yesterday, didn’t do anything really live, but actually moved around for the first time. He was just a little bit sore and a little bit tender, the same as he’s been. So he didn’t go backward. That’s going to tell us a lot tomorrow morning.”

The former Wasatch Academy standout is averaging 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He’s shooting 68% from the field in the three games he’s played during his first year with the Cougars.

Coming out of high school, Traore turned down recruiting interest from Seton Hall to sign with the BYU basketball program.

Practice nuggets

• Freshman guard Trey Stewart showed his explosive ability on a nice reverse layup that got a few oohs and ahs from his teammates. Stewart has made the defensive end of the floor a top priority in his first year at BYU. The former American Fork High standout followed Mark Pope and his staff from UVU to BYU.
• LSU/SJSU transfer Seneca Knight had a nice coast-to-coast take to the hoop that included a shifty crossover.
• Guard Te’Jon Lucas had a no-look pass in a segment of practice to Caleb Lohner that led to a two-hand jam from the sophomore forward.

No. 18 BYU vs. Texas Southern

Location: Marriott Center (Provo)

Tip: 7 p.m.

TV: BYUtv

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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