Texas appointed Sean Miller as the new men's basketball coach less than three weeks ago, and since then, he has been on a recruiting rampage for the Longhorns. Most recently, Miller secured yet another commitment from one of his former Xavier players, joining Dylan Swain on the Horns' roster.
On Monday, April 14, Jon Rothstein reported that Xavier transfer Lassina Traore had committed to Miller and the Longhorns. The 6-foot-10 forward did not play during his one season under Miller but averaged 11.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists during his junior season at Long Beach State.
Xavier transfer Lassina Traore tells me that he has committed to Texas.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 14, 2025
DNP last season due to a knee injury.
Averaged 11.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG at Long Beach State during the 2023-24 season.
Miller has also secured official commitments from former Purdue forward Camden Heide and former Florida Atlantic center Matas Vokietaitis, who just wrapped up his visit to Austin over the weekend. Texas stars Jordan Pope, Chendall Weaver, and Tramon Mark also announced that they would return for another season with the Horns after Miller was named head coach.
As a transfer, Traore was given a four-star ranking by 247Sports as well as On3, despite not having played for nearly a year.
What does Lassina Traore bring to the Longhorns?
Traore's commitment to the Horns adds some much-needed size to Texas's roster, following the departure of senior center Kadin Shedrick. The former Xavier forward, alongside 7-foot Vokietaitis, will be dominant in the paint on both ends of the court.
The forward averaged a double-double during his third season of collegiate basketball and can do a lot of damage off the glass by creating second-chance opportunities for his team and minimizing them for his opponents.
Before Traore's commitment, Texas had earned the No. 2 men's basketball transfer team rankings under Miller. The addition of Traore should boost the transfer class stock significantly.
Earlier this month, Miller hired one of his former assistant coaches, Kenya Hunter, to be his assistant at Texas. Hunter most recently worked under Mike Woodson at Indiana, but worked under Miller during his first stint with Xavier.