17-year-old, Mohamed Traore proved that he should be in the conversation of the next great talent to come out of the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec.
With bragging rights on the line as two of Canada’s top AAU basketball teams battled for supremacy in Indianapolis, Traore had his best game of the 2022 U16 Nike EYBL circuit.
Dropping an impressive 19 points, 3 steals on a super efficient 7-of-10 shooting in a close 84-79 overtime defeat to Bounce Elite.
In a highly anticipated early morning match-up against top prospect Jalik Dunkley-Distant and familiar faces from the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA), the super-skilled Royal Crown Academic School guard put everybody on notice and raised the temperature in the gym with a ferocious one hand slam over Jalik.
The two top Canadian prospects in the class of 2024 went at each other from the opening whistle, guarding each other on multiple occasions and showcasing unreal athletic ability with high caliber dunks and shot making.
In the end, Jalik Dunkley-Distant had the last laugh as Bounce Elite pulled out the win behind 30 points and 8 rebounds from the Hamilton, Ontario native to drop UPLAY Canada to 0-4 on the weekend.
A last minute cut from the 2021 Canadian U16 FIBA Americas team, Traore has been playing with a chip on his shoulders ever since. Out to prove that his name is not to be taken lightly, the former Dynastie Sport Institute (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) product went to work, scoring in double-digits in each of UPLAY’s four games.
Demonstrating a high appetite to compete on both ends of the floor, the strong frame guard disrupted passing lanes, made contested baskets and knocked free-throws at a high rate. Confident as a primary ball-handler, he delivered multiple precise passes off pick-n-roll situations.
Traore kicked-off the weekend with a 10 point, 3 rebounds, 2 steal effort in the opener against Expressions Elite. The Canadian finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in a highly contested affair against Strive for Greatness and rising stud Compton Pharaoh. He also racked-up 15 points, 3 rebounds on 7-of-9 foul shots against the Nightrydas at the Pacers Athletic Center.
