Michigan ramps up pursuit of breakout big man Yohan Traore

Late into April, Yohan Traore was still awaiting his first scholarship offer. Now, a mere five months later, he is touted as perhaps the nation’s fastest-rising class of 2022 prospect, buoyed by a dominant showing on the Adidas circuit during July’s evaluation period. 

Nothing about Traore’s meteoric rise comes as a surprise to Clayton Williams, Traore’s coach at Dream Vision, a California-based AAU program. 

As Williams explains, Traore’s lack of scholarships never indicated an absence of talent. Last summer, Traore arrived from France to enroll at high school basketball powerhouse Prolific Prep. But playing time there proved scarce, with Traore saddled behind a pair of five-star class of 2021 big men in Nate Bittle and Adem Bona. 

Devoid of opportunities, Traore earned limited minutes and played a secondary role off the bench.