When Fousseyni Traore and Atiki Ally Atiki arrived on BYU’s campus before the 2021-22 season, it figured that they would have some time to acclimate to Division I basketball as they sat and learned from players like Richard Harward and Gavin Baxter.
But things changed when both Harward and Baxter were lost for the season, thrusting Traore and Ally Atiki into action sooner than anyone expected.
After showing signs of their potential as freshmen, the pair of forwards have both taken a big step forward.
The 6-foot-6 Traore — affectionately known as “Fouss” in Provo — leads BYU in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg) this season. He has scored in double figures in 20 games and he’s recorded six double-doubles.
The sixth-place Cougars are looking for more strong production from Traore as they host third-place Santa Clara Thursday (7 p.m. MST, CBS Sports Network).
Coach Mark Pope is amazed by what Traore has accomplished so far in his young career, especially recently as opposing teams are working on trying to slow him down.
“It’s breathtaking, actually,” he said. “Fouss’ progress over the last two months has been pretty staggering. He’s doing things differently on the court right now. What’s pretty amazing for Fouss is, he’s doing so much more and he’s becoming so much more versatile and all the focus is on him this year, where it was not on him last year, right? He’s the headliner on the scout and everything else. He’s attracting way more bodies than he did last year.
“Normally, you’d see likely a regression or maybe just be grateful for status quo in terms of productivity just because if he could stay status quo, that means he’s made a massive jump because he’s doing it now with way more attention given to him. The fact that he’s become so creative and dynamic is really exciting for us.”
This season, Traore has struggled with ankle, foot and hamstring injuries, though he’s only been sidelined for one game.
Traore is probably as close as he’s been to 100% healthy right now, according to Pope. Traore has missed some practices, but it hasn’t negatively affected him.
“The one thing about Fouss, it doesn’t seem like it takes him a week or two to get his rhythm back,” Pope said. “He’s just terrific from the first moment he steps back on the court. The end of this season and this summer is going to be really, really important for him. His health is going to be really important. There’s another big jump coming for him.”
The 6-foot-9 Ally Atiki is averaging 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He also ranks No. 3 in the West Coast Conference in blocks per game. He scored a career-high 12 against San Diego and he pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Missouri State and Western Oregon.
“Atiki might have made bigger strides and improved more (than Traore),” Pope said. “We’re not getting to see it as much because he’s got a couple of areas where he still needs to make massive progress for all the other stuff to show.”
Pope is glad that Traore and Ally Atiki are a big part of the Cougars’ future plans as they head into the Big 12 next season.
“Both of those guys have made tremendous progress on the offensive, and maybe even more so on the defensive end of the ball with what we’re expecting them to do and how we’re expecting them to guard,” he said. “Not just making reads, but also being versatile in terms of their defensive approach. I’m super proud of those guys. I anticipate that their trajectory is going to continue. … You think about this program growing and getting better and those young guys are a major part of it, for sure.”