"FOUSSSSSS!"
I can still hear the roar of the crowd every time BYU basketball's Fousseyni Traore muscled the ball through the rim at the Marriott Center. The 6'6" center from Mali was as undersized as a post-tied big man could be, but his heart and effort level lifted him to leave a giant's impact whenever he took the floor, even against taller opposition.
Commentators were baffled as they suspected the ROC was booing every time he took the floor. With hands in the air and his name echoing through the arena, Traore's smiling face and leadership made him a fan-favorite during his four-year stay at Brigham Young University.
Outspoken for his faith, being a Muslim student at a christian school, Traore led the way and set the example for non-LDS student-athletes hoping to grow athletically and personally during their time at the university.
And if Tasha Sabey on X is accurate, BYU athletic director Brian Santiago shared with Cougar Club members that Traore has been meeting with missionaries in France, and is set to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Traore's stature at the university, much like other athletes like Egor Demin, Aly Khalifa, and now AJ Dybantsa who enrolled without a background in the LDS church, has been one of poise, maturity, and mutual respect between himself and the community in the Beehive State BYU supporters around the world.
Whether Muslim or LDS, Fousseyni's standing in the eyes of Cougar Nation is unchanging: he'll forever be welcome back to the campus and near the program that he helped usher into a new Big 12 era. A giant of a man -- and not just physically -- Fousseyni Traore has left his mark on BYU athletics forever.