Yohan Traore will visit Kentucky if offered, making decision "pretty soon"

2022 five-star power forward Yohan Traore has serious interest in the Kentucky Wildcats as he inches closer toward a decision.

KSR reported Kentucky’s contact and early mutual interest last week, with John Calipari and Jai Lucas then making the trip to see Traore play in the Marshall County Hoopfest on Saturday. The top-15 prospect finished with 20 points (6-12 FG, 8-11 FT), four rebounds and one block in Dream City Christian’s win over Central Pointe Christian with UK’s coaches in attendance.

Kentucky visit (possibly) in the works

Now, the 6-foot-11, 225-pound forward wants to take a visit to Kentucky — should the Wildcats extend a scholarship offer, of course.

According to On3’s own Joe Tipton, Traore will take his fifth and final visit to Lexington if Kentucky decides to offer.

“There is a new contender Traore’s recruitment – the Kentucky Wildcats,” Tipton wrote Thursday. “Traore said Kentucky assistant Jai Lucas reached out to him about a week ago. The Wildcats have yet to offer but if they do, Traore plans to take his fifth and final official visit to UK.”

A new favorite?

Should that happen, Tipton believes Kentucky will emerge as a “serious contender, if not the favorite” to land the five-star prospect.

“It’s still uncertain whether or not Kentucky will offer Traore, as they are still feeling things out,” Tipton wrote. “But if a scholarship offer is extended, I expect the Kentucky Wildcats to immediately become a serious contender, if not the favorite to land Traore.”

Tipton also confirmed that Traore is no longer considering his professional opportunities and plans to attend college.

Traore is rated as the No. 11 overall prospect and No. 1 power forward in the latest On3 Player Rankings. On3 officially moved him up to five-star status on Thursday.

“(Traore) is extremely skilled on the perimeter,” On3’s Gerry Hamilton said of the five-star big. “He has the confidence to knock down corner 3-pointers, as well as contested mid-range jumpers. He fluidly runs the floor and finishes above the rim in transition. Traore ascended more than any other player from last spring until now.”

More time to evaluate

Will Kentucky extend an offer? That remains to be seen. As KSR reported Wednesday morning, Calipari would like to evaluate Traore further before extending an offer. While he’s intrigued with his skill and versatility on the offensive end, the UK head coach is looking to see more on defense and on the glass. The sample size is just too small right now for the staff to know either way.

The ball was in Traore’s court to make it clear he’s serious about Kentucky and would like to be here. He’s done that. Now, it’s on Calipari to give the five-star prospect a thorough evaluation and decide one way or the other.

Will there be a match between the two sides? We’ll find out in the near future, especially considering Traore is planning to commit sooner rather than later.

“It’ll be pretty soon for sure,” Traore told Tipton.