Yohan Traore opens up on decision to play for Auburn basketball

With the imminent departures of Freshman of the Year Jabari Smith Jr. and Defensive Player of the Year Walker Kessler, it’s clear that head coach Bruce Pearl has some work to do on the 2022-23 Auburn basketball roster.

Pearl secured the commitments of 4-star small forward Chance Westry and 3-star point guard Tre Donaldson early on the recruiting cycle but more recently confirmed another addition to next year’s roster in 5-star power forward Yohan Traore.

Originally committed to the LSU Tigers, Traore backed off the Bayou Bengals following the firing of Will Wade and saw immediate interest from Auburn basketball. With Smith leaving for the NBA Draft after just one season on the Plains, Traore’s arrival is expected to fill the gaps.

According to Auburn Live, there were several key factors that played into Traore’s decision to commit to Bruce Pearl and Auburn basketball, beginning with the family atmosphere:

"“I chose Auburn because the family atmosphere,” Traore told AuburnLiveOn3 after his commitment. “I love it. It’s amazing.”"

But, Traore’s relationships with the coaching staff– primarily Bruce Pearl and Wes Flanigan– were just as important as the Auburn family:

"“The relationships that I have with Bruce Pearl and Coach Wes are really good,” Traore said. “I love them. They explained to me that they are going to coach me to get better as a player on the court and also get better as a person off the court. I loved that.“Coach Wes was a big factor for me,” Traore said. “He’s so cool. I’ve been talking to him since the beginning of my recruiting process. He’s been really, really pushing for me to come to Auburn.”"

Traore is ranked as the #2 power forward in the recruiting class of 2022, per On3 Sports, and will be the Tigers’ third signee in this cycle.