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French forward seeing options expand quickly

Mady Traoré
Mady Traoré

Mady Traoré isn’t a household name in the recruiting world. In fact, he only holds three scholarship offers and isn’t yet ranked. That may all be changing soon, however, as the 6-foot-11 French import is starting to attract major college interest.

When Arizona offered the class-of-2022 prospect earlier this week, it was clear that word was out. And while Traoré, who has been in the states less than a year, doesn’t know many details about the Wildcat program, he’s starting to acquire a base knowledge.

“My friend [Daniel Batcho] committed there, and he told me a lot about it at school but that’s all I know,” Traoré said on Monday.

Traoré hopes to familiarize himself with the Wildcats’ coaching staff as time passes, but the offer itself didn’t come with much fanfare. Head coach Sean Miller simply saw his measurables and his film and pulled the trigger. This was not a slow build.

“The offer kind of came out of nowhere,” Traoré said. “I wasn’t surprised because I spent the summer working hard.”

Schools such as Auburn, Oregon, Georgia, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, St. Johns and others have been in contact with Traoré’s camp, and a handful could pull the trigger on offers if they like what they see at upcoming camps and high school games. The early interest is less than shocking, though, as the forward’s 7-foot-3 wingspan and obvious athleticism give him an incredibly high upside.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been an adjustment. Traoré will spend the year ahead becoming more of a polished player and, maybe most importantly, adjusting to the American style of play.

"In France the game is slower,” Traoré said. “We don’t have a lot of fast breaks, but I’m getting used to that. I’m just going to keep working.”

Traoré attends Maryland’s Bishop Walsh High School.


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