NCAA SPECIAL SECTION
The 8-page e-edition special section includes an overview of each region and full men's and women's brackets updated through Wednesday night's First Four games, plus advice for filling out brackets.
making strides as a playmaker, averaging 1.3 assists as a freshman, 3.5 as a sophomore and 4.5 this season.
His ability to run the offense and outrebound just about anyone on the floor has made Traore a difficult player to match up against.
“We put him at the point and now he's got a big on him,” Monson said. “He's getting downhill and making good things happen.”
All that was left for Traore was to elevate his game to the big stage.
He helped LBSU reach the championship game of the Big West Tournament two years ago, but then went 21 minutes without taking a
shot and pulled down just two rebounds in the loss to Cal State Fullerton.
He disappeared again last season in the opening round of the conference tournament, totaling just nine points and four rebounds in 38 minutes of a 20-point loss to last-place Cal Poly.
A five-game skid to end the most recent regular season prompted Monson to pull Traore aside again last week, shortly after Monson informed his team that he would not be back next season. Monson looked Traore in the eyes and said he not only believed Traore could play better, but he still had another level to his game.
“I was like, `You know me more than everybody because I've been here three years. You've seen me grow from a boy to a man, and if this is what you want me to do, I'll do it,' ” Traore said.
His 12 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in the opening round against UC Riverside grabbed widespread
attention, but it was his accomplishments in the semifinal upset against top-seeded UC Irvine that really showed how far Traore has come in three seasons. Traore shot 12 for 13 from the free-throw line, including 8 for 8 in the final three minutes, helping Long Beach pull ahead and hang on for an 83-79 victory.
His calmness and execution at the line were night and day compared to when he was a freshman and shot 6 for 18 during nonconference play and 57.1% for the season.
What's impressed Monson even more this postseason is Traore has been observing Ramadan since the evening of March 10 and fasting during daylight hours. All three games at the Big West Tournament last week started before sundown, so Traore had to persist throughout the day without food or liquids before he could indulge at halftime.
After loading up on calories in the tournament opener against UC Riverside, Traore locked up his triple-double
with 2:54 remaining to give Long Beach a 19-point lead, but Monson still couldn't get him out of the game.
“He gets mad at me and he says, `This game is not done yet. What are you taking us out for?' ” Monson said. “And I'm like, `Because what's not done yet is we want to win a championship ... so when the game was over I had to give him a little shot and say, `Can I take you out now? Is it over now?' ”
The noon tipoff in Salt Lake City means Traore won't have to fast the entire day. It also means, win or lose, Monson can spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with a group that has provided more highs and lows than any other team in his 17 years at the school.
“I've had an unbelievable run to coach a lot of great teams,” Monson said. “This one has struggled on the court more than I would have liked, but off the court it is a solid group that loves each other.”