ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis head men's basketball coach Travis Ford today announced the addition of guard DeAndre Jones and forward Lassina Traore to the Billikens' program.
 
Jones and Traore join guards Jordan Nesbitt (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Christian Academy/Memphis) and Rashad Williams (Detroit, Mich./Oakland) as newcomers to the Billiken roster.
 
"We are excited to welcome DeAndre and Lassina into the Team Blue family," Ford said. "Both provide depth to our team in needed positions, from inside play to the point guard position."
 
Jones, a native of Boise, Idaho, transfers to SLU after playing the previous four seasons at Central Arkansas. In 100 career games with the Bears, Jones averaged 10.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals.
 
"DeAndre brings us great experience at the point guard position," Ford said. "We have played against DeAndre and had a lot of respect for his game while preparing for him. He can play both on and off the ball, and he was a great 3-point shooter last year, making more than 50 percent of his shots from the arc."
 
Traore hails from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and spent a year in prep school at Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida, the same prep school attended by Billiken Markhi Strickland. Traore also played briefly at the Dynasty Sports Institute in Quebec City, Quebec, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was to participate in the 2018 FIBA U18 African Championships, but Ivory Coast had to pull out of the tournament before play began.
 
"Lassina has big upside and brings us athleticism, toughness and a strong defensive presence to the paint," Ford said. "He gives us depth in this position, which we need for both games and practices. Lassina will greatly benefit from going head-to-head with Marten Linssen and Francis Okoro every day in practice."