Apparently not, but a good friend not associated to the AD and who just won a bet from them could.
MBB Portal Targets (confirmed contacts)
- Thread starter HawkHoops80
- Start date
Huge rebounding numbers in the MAAC and earned all-freshman honors. That would be a nice addition. Very good FT shooter as well.
Listed as a guard on their roster. Assume they played 3 or 4 guard offense.
Looks like he played the 4 and a little bit at the 5, but Manhattan's entire roster looks undersized like they played 4 guards. Their 5 was 6'8" 235
They show a lot of made 3 pointers in the highlights. But he shot 26%. Only 43% field goal shooting. Probably because of him being undersized.
He's a pretty poor offensive player but I also think Manhattan also used him very incorrectly.
The important piece about Traore in particular is that he was top-100 in the entire country in defensive rebounding rate as a 3/4 on a terrible team. That to me sparks my interest because rebounding was probably Iowa's biggest overall weakness last year.
Yep. He looks like he has some offensive skills, but what Iowa needs most are interior defenders and rebounders. He seems to have a similar skill set to Dembele. Koch is more of a shooter and a 3/4, so getting another interior rebounder is critical. I think we already will have plenty of offensive firepower, especially if Payton returns.
Appears several other Major schools at least contacted him. So they at least think he has some game.
Has Fran stopped looking for another guard? We might be OK if Harding, Dix and Thelwell stay healthy, but if not, it could be a serious problem.
IIRC, there are over 2,000 who've entered the portal.
I think Fran believes he could run an entire lineup with no real guards.
Fran's ideal lineup is no one under 6'8.
It's great as long as one or two can possess the ball at a high level.
Nba caliber speed and athleticism would be a necessity to make an all 6'8+ lineup make sense.
Yep. Info about his scheduled visit not clear, but I don't have premium access.
Said he was coming Mothers Day according to Des Moines Register article.
Update on Seydou Traore. Note that this analyst thinks we are a potential top 25 team IF Payton comes back.
The "non shooter" comment kinda sucks, especially if Payton heads to the NBA....
The "non shooter" comment kinda sucks, especially if Payton heads to the NBA....
I think for Fran he had an order of getting players in the portal the first was a G in Drew, now he wanted a F with Seydou, I think we might try to get a G or best available after getting the first two done. I read somewhere that 60 percent of the names who entered the portal are still in the portal so still options out there let’s just get Seydou to commit within the next 24 hours….
Not that I had crazy high hopes for the upcoming season, but if Payton doesn't come back, wowser.
This was probably always going to be a rebuilding year after Fran gave the majority of the minutes to the upperclassman last year.
Giving minutes to Krikke and Pmac was pointless, the smart move was to rebuild last year.
He posted on his social media that he was at the airport late yesterday afternoon, so I'm assuming he got in last night sometime.
In the past, it would not have been a great idea to add to class that already has 4 recruits, but I think the portal eliminated that concern. Another interior player with athleticism can't hurt, especially one that likes to rebound.
So, no rumors about Traore's visit. Usually no news is not good news.
Thanks for the info. Is he really a guard? Seems more like a forward, even a small PF, to me, since he isn't a great shooter and is an excellent rebounder. Either way, Fran has added another physical, athletic player, and this team could have a different personality than past teams.
I want to believe that but I've thought that about a dozen times before. I hope it's true!
That's weird, I've now seen guard and power forward. I like the looks of his athleticism, defense rebounding and passing.
If you do all that stuff you can find a role.
Honestly, the motion of his 3pt shot isn't bad, kind of a Paul George look.
