Xavier Musketeers get commitment from Long Beach State big man Lassina Traore
A Xavier frontcourt that struggled mightily during the program's first losing season in nearly three decades continues to receive reinforcements.
On Wednesday, Long Beach State forward Lassina Traore became Xavier's fifth commit via the NCAA's transfer portal, he announced on social media.
Long Beach State transfer and All-Big West Second Team selection Lassina Traore has committed to Xavier.
The 6’10” junior forward started 34/35 games for the Big West tournament champs, averaging 11.9 points on 52% FG, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
Sean Miller picks up a… pic.twitter.com/CAWEOGas3k— PortalUpdates (@portal_updates) April 27, 2024
Xavier appeared to miss out on Appalachian State big man Justin Abson, the Big South Defensive Player of the Year last season, who got a Crystal Ball prediction to Georgia on Tuesday. It didn't take long for the Musketeers to find the rim protection they needed in Traore, who was a two-time all-conference selection at Long Beach State and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Traore began his collegiate career at Saint Louis, playing in 19 games off the bench as a freshman in 2022.
Traore averaged a double-double in each of the last two seasons at Long Beach State, combining to shoot 52.9% from the field. Last season, Traore put up 11.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He scored 25 points in Long Beach State's 74-70 win over UC-Davis in the Big West Conference Tournament Championship to help lead the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years. Long Beach State lost to Arizona in the first round of March Madness.
Long Beach State parted ways with head coach Dan Monson prior to the team's run to a conference tournament championship. Monson became the new head coach at Eastern Washington and Traore entered the transfer portal March 28.
After snagging three commitments last week, Xavier had quickly become an early offseason darling in multiple nationwide transfer portal rankings.
If you're counting at home, Xavier now has four frontcourt players who weren't on the court last season slated to suit up down low for the 2024-25 campaign in the return of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter paired with the additions of John Hugley IV and Traore.
Hugley and Traore now slide into the rotation at center, helping out a Xavier defense that was last in the Big East in offensive rebounds allowed and ranked No. 121 in KenPom defending 2-point shots.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Long Beach State big man Lassina Traore commits to Xavier Musketeers
