Michigan Basketball: How likely is landing 5-star Yohan Traore?

Michigan basketball made the top 10 for one of the nation’s elite recruits in five-star Yohan Traore, but what kind of chance does U-M have at landing him?

Newly-minted five-star prospect Yohan Traore, a player Michigan basketball offered recently, is the hottest recruit on the trail right now and he just released his top 10 this week.

Michigan basketball did make the cut along with LSU, Texas Tech, UCLA, Utah, Tennessee, Louisville, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and the NBL.

The 6-foot-11 power forward is listed as the 47th recruit overall in the 247 sports composite rankings but he’ll be a five-star there eventually. And just this week, he received a huge boost in the Rivals rankings, going all the way to No. 4 overall.

Juwan Howard and company entered the mix for Traore shortly after Tarris Reed committed to the Wolverines. One of the questions was how the two would play together, but Reed could play center and Traore could play the four.

Neither is an exceptionally strong shooter from the perimeter, although there is potential, yet Traore is so talented, as is Reed another top-50 guy, that you take them and figure it out.

Of course, that’s easier said than done when one is a five-star recruit, and Traore, who is out of Arizona, has some attractive options. UCLA is a program that looms large out West. Memphis has been on a roll recruiting wise and you can’t count out LSU, Tennessee, or even Oklahoma State.

Playing pro ball instead of college is also a distinct possibility. Here’s what Traore told On3.com:

"“The professional option is very interesting because you’re going to learn a lot… how to be disciplined, play the right way and you get to play against pros,” Traore said. “So you’re going to get a lot of experience. It can be a good thing. But it can also be a bad thing. Because you can get lost. Sometimes people go pro just to get money, but that’s not good. If you go pro, you have to be ready. It’s not going to be easy. But it’s definitely one of my options.”"

What are Michigan basketball’s chances?

Traore was recently offered by Gonzaga and it was interesting that the Zags didn’t make the cut. So the final list doesn’t exactly feature a bunch of blue bloods such as Duke, Kentucky, UNC, and the Zags who are a threat in any recruitment at this point.

Dylan Burkhardt of UMHoops also offered this assessment of this recruitment:

"“The most consistent word around his recruitment is that it is complicated (and it won’t just feature college options). Traore hasn’t announced any official visits yet and for Michigan to have a chance, it will have to secure a campus visit and go from there.”"

Michigan is after a number of other forwards to go along with Jett Howard who is expected to commit at some point. Colin Smith, Gregg Glenn, and Ernest Udeh are some of the top names that come to mind along with Traore.

But as we’ve noted before and Burkhardt says, until there is a visit with Traore, who has expressed interest, it’s hard to judge how big a threat Michigan basketball is to win his commitment.