Syracuse Basketball: 4-star transfer wing, who heard from SU, makes college decision

Seydou Traore, a freshman guard/forward at Manhattan who heard from Syracuse basketball during the spring transfer-portal window, has made his college decision.

Per On3 national reporter Joe Tipton, Traore has committed to Big Ten Conference member Iowa. A big congrats to Seydou on his commitment to the Hawkeyes!

Last month, On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw said that the 6-foot-7, 215-pound Traore had heard from a bunch of college squads, including the Orange, USC, Georgetown, Florida State, Clemson, West Virginia, Louisville, Oregon and Michigan, among others.

Traore, who is from the Bronx, N.Y., entered the transfer portal on April 19, per 247Sports. As a freshman for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") member Manhattan, he averaged 32.4 minutes, 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, while connecting on 43.3 percent from the field, 25.6 percent from 3-point land, and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line, according to ESPN data.

In the 2023-24 campaign, Traore was named to the MAAC's 2023-24 All-Rookie team, and deservingly so. When I wrote this article, Rivals.com placed him as four stars and No. 190 overall in its national transfer rankings.

Syracuse basketball had reached out to four-star transfer wing Seydou Traore.

The spring transfer-portal window ran from March 18 until May 1, meaning that college players who wanted to transfer to a new program had to be in the portal by May 1, although their respective recruitments could carry on for weeks or even months.

Dating back to mid-March, media reports and posts on social media indicated that the Orange coaching staff had reached out to a variety of college transfers. This off-season, seven players from the Orange's 2023-24 roster went into the portal, while sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is headed to this summer's NBA Draft.

Five 2023-24 players are expected to return to the 'Cuse. The Orange's 2024 recruiting class, currently, includes two high school seniors in four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore and five-star power forward Donnie Freeman, as well as three college transfers - Hofstra junior point guard Jaquan Carlos, Delaware senior forward Jyáre Davis, and Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr.

This means that the Syracuse basketball staff still has three open scholarships available for the upcoming 2024-25 season. I continue to maintain that the Orange could use another point guard, a power forward/center and perhaps a 3-point specialist out on the wing.

Let's see how things continue to unfold this off-season as 'Cuse coaches keep working on finalizing their 2024-25 roster.