The Horns are hosting an important transfer portal target on Friday.
New Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller continues to pursue frontcourt talent in the NCAA transfer portal, hosting a familiar player on Friday in former Xavier Musketeers forward Lassina Traore.
Xavier transfer big man Lassina Traore on visit to the Texas Longhorns .
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— Gerry Hamilton (@GHamiltonOTF) April 11, 2025
Traore has one season of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2024-25 following a season-ending knee injury sustained in October. He entered the portal on April 3.
A native of the Ivory Coast, the 6’10, 245-pound Traore played at Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida before signing with Saint Louis as an unranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.
After serving as a minor contributor as a freshman, Traore transferred to Long Beach State and had a breakout season as a sophomore, leading the Big West Conference in rebounding at 10.5 rpg, a number that ranked eighth nationally. A double-digit scorer at 12.9 points per game, Traore recorded 17 double-doubles in scoring and rebounding, including a 22-point, 20-rebound effort against UC Davis, the program’s first 20/20 game since 1983.
As a junior, Traore once again led the Big West in rebounding at 10.3 rpg (12th nationally) while averaging 11.9 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting with 15 double-doubles. Traore’s offensive rebounding rate of 12.2 percent and defensive rebounding rate of 24.9 percent are both elite numbers in addition to a strong free-throw rate that produced 151 free-throw attempts as a junior.
Now Traore is rehabilitating from his knee injury in preparation for his final season of college basketball.
“Lassina was a starter on this year’s team. He had a great summer and preseason, where he improved his game as much as any player in our program. He emerged to be our team’s best rebounder, low post defender and shot blocker. He was in superior condition and became a tone setter for everything that impacts winning,” Miller said when Traore was injured.
“We will miss Lassina’s ability and presence. No one player can replace him. All of us will have to do more, be better and step up in our respective roles. And, we will eagerly await his return to the basketball court in the 2025-26 season.”
Texas recently landed a commitment from FAU transfer center Matas Vokietaitis in addition to returning players Nic Codie and Jamie Vinson in the frontcourt and portal additions on the wing in Dailyn Swain and Camden Heide.