4. Aboubacar Traore
Aboubacar Traore came over from Long Beach State, where he had an impressive 2023-24 season, securing a full stat sheet of 12 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. The Cardinals guard provided some solid minutes off the bench this season but was streaky on the offensive side and tended to be careless and a little too wild with the ball.
Traore averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 53.5% from the floor. However, he had multiple games with three turnovers or more and one game with five turnovers. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward was an undersized forward but was a great defensive player off the bench. This season, while he only averaged 13 minutes a game, he also averaged nearly a block and a steal per game.
He had the potential to be a vital piece off the bench, but unfortunately, he never had that career-defining game. Traore best game with the Cardinals came against Virginia as he finished with 15 points in 16 minutes, including eight rebounds, one block, and one steal while shooting 60 percent from the floor.
Traore senior leadership will be missed, but the Cardinals will look to improve their bench players next season via the spring transfer portal.