Since returning from a sprained ankle in Iowa's 110-77 win over USC-Upstate and his subsequent recovery, Seydou Traore has been seeing inconsistent, infrequent minutes with the Hawkeyes.
On several occasions, head coach Fran McCaffery has made it clear he would have like to play the Manhattan transfer more since his return to the court.
"I wanted to get Seydou back in there," McCaffery said following Traore's 11 minutes against Nebraska. However, Iowa's head man elected to go with a different lineup that led the Hawkeyes to a 97-87 comeback victory in overtime.
"[Fran and I] didn't actually speak about it, but I definitely understand where Fran was coming from," Traore said just two days following the victory. "That five that was out there for that stretch had the momentum. So, we just had to ride with that same that lineup at the time."
Though he understood, it hasn't been easy for the New York City native, who hasn't delt with any sort of consistent injury like this in his basketball career.
"It's been tough [to fight through injury], but I've just got to stay mentally strong," Traore said just "It's definitely tough not being able to be out there to help my team, but it's going to come along throughout the season."
In Iowa's latest four high-major contests, and now fully in the swing of the Big Ten schedule, Traore has averaged just 9.8 minutes per game, playing just seven minutes against Indiana and USC. He was called for two quick fouls in the first half against the Trojans and promptly picked up a third when he returned to the court in the second half.
According to McCaffery, chances are that Traore's minutes per game average will continue to trend upward as the season progresses.
"I want him to play more," he said on a Zoom call with media Thursday morning. "My anticipation was to play him more [against USC]. I probably should have left him in when he got his third, just let him keep playing. But he got his third foul, so I was going to take him out a little bit, put him back in, which I did. But I could have played him a little bit more there."
Coincidentally, Iowa's two biggest losses this season have come with Traore receiving fewer minutes. At Wisconsin, Iowa lost 116-85, and on Tuesday, they dropped the contest against USC, 99-89. Both teams shot ridiculously high percentages from the field (Wisconsin 64.5%, USC 64.9%) and from three (Wisconsin 67.7%, USC 66.7%) against the Hawkeyes.
Iowa was significantly outrebounded in both contests as well, with the Badgers handling them on the glass, 37-21, and the Trojans nearly repeating the performance, finishing with a 37-20 advantage.
Traore is one of the better defenders on the roster, averaged 8.2 rebounds per game last season with the Jaspers, and he is among the top rebounders per 40 minutes on this Iowa squad (6.4).
He's particularly effective in Iowa's three-quarter court zone press, where he sticks at the top to deflect passes and make things difficult on opposing ball-handlers. The press is an integral piece to the way the Hawkeyes operate defensively and force turnovers.
"I feel like I bring a lot defensively, just being active out there, trying to guard the best player," Traore said. "I think the team just needs me to be out there and stay mentally strong for them."
Now that Traore is back at 100% and has gotten some minutes under his belt after missing extended time, he's hoping to play his role effectively, and more frequently. If Iowa wants to avoid more blowout losses on the road, his defense and activity on the boards will be vital to their efforts in one of the top basketball conferences in the country.
"We're going to need him," McCaffery said Thursday. "His versatility on the glass, he'll defend. So, I expect him to continue to play more. ... I think missing that time, missing the reps in practice, limited his development. But he's figuring it out. He's a good kid, a smart kid."
