BYU’s Fousseyni Traore With Nice Putback Dunk Against San Francisco
Jan 15, 2022, 10:20 PM
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 8: Fousseyni Traore #45 of the BYU Cougars is pressured by Brandon Horvath #4 of the Utah State Aggies during the second half of their game December 8, 2021 at the J. Willard Marriott Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball freshman Fousseyni Traore has been a star in his first year with the Cougars. In a big WCC game against San Francisco on Saturday night, Traore continued to play well.
During a low-scoring rock fight, Traore had one of the offensive highlights. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound forward/center had a nice putback slam dunk to give BYU a 20-19 lead with under five minutes to go in the first half.
OK FOUSS❕❕ pic.twitter.com/mQASrNgx7y
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 16, 2022
A native of Mali, Traore moved to the United States to further his basketball career. First, he prepped at Wasatch Academy down south at Mt. Pleasant. Then, before Mark Pope ever coached a game at BYU, he and his staff extended a scholarship offer to him in August of 2019.
Traore’s first year at BYU has been a steady force, playing beyond his years. Teammates such as senior guard Alex Barcello have said jokingly that they don’t think “Fouss” realizes how good he is yet.
Coming into Saturday’s game against San Francisco, Traore averages 8.1 points. 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. In a year in the WCC that features projected NBA Lottery Pick Chet Holmgren, Traore has claimed two WCC Freshman of the Week honors this season.
BYU versus San Francisco is currently on CBS Sports Network and over the air on KSL NewsRadio, your legacy home of the BYU Cougars.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.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.
