Xavier Basketball: Impact of losing transfer Lassina Traore for 2024-25 season

Last season, Xavier Basketball struggled largely due to a lack of frontcourt depth. Starters Jerome Hunter and Zach Freemantle suffered season-ending injuries before the 2023-24 campaign had started. However, both are back and cleared to play, along with a few transfers. One of them was Lassina Traore, who averaged 11.9 ppg and 10.3 rpg at Long Beach State last season. 

The 6’9 forward is one of a few players in the country who averaged a double-double in the last two years and was projected to be part of the rotation at Xavier and potentially start as well. As one of the top active rebounders in college, he was an underrated offseason pickup for the program. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see Traore’s impact on the court this year.

It’s the latest roster blow for the Musketeers, who need his rebounding and defense in the frontcourt. Without him, the center position gets a bit thin. Fremantle likely will start at the five-spot, backed up by Oklahoma transfer John Hugley. He reportedly dropped over 60 pounds this offseason and will be healthy this year, but now, he must have an even bigger impact.

Besides Hunter, look for FSU transfer Cam’Ron Fletcher to play some minutes at the four-spot, along with returning sophomore forward Dailyn Swain. This will offer the Musketeers more versatility and potentially offensive firepower, but in the end, defense and rebounding could remain issues.

Ultimately, Freemantle's play will decide how good Xavier’s frontcourt and overall season will be. If he looks like the previous All-Big East version of himself, the team will return to the NCAA Tournament mix. If he’s less than that, the team could be on the outside looking in at the postseason, with the loss of Traore being too much to overcome. The good news is that Coach Sean Miller and the team has some time to adjust.