FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari and his staff landed the commitment of ESPN 4-star prospect Abdou Toure on Friday.
He chose the Razorbacks over other finalists Connecticut and Providence.
Toure, 6-5 and 185 pounds, of West Haven (Conn.) Notre Dame, received a scholarship offer from Arkansas more than a year ago, and the Razorbacks made a him a priority.
Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Chuck Martin led the recruiting efforts for Toure. He was also recruited by Calipari and assistant director of on-court player development Brad Calipari.
Martin flew approximately 6,000 miles to Istanbul, Turkey, for the 17-under FIBA World Cup last summer to watch Toure play for Guinea.
Toure spoke to Kirk Kirsch of Pro Insight on Thursday about Arkansas’ sales pitch leading up to his announcement.
“I would say their pitch has been they’ve just been there from the start,” Toure said. “And Coach Cal really loves my game. Everybody knows Coach Cal’s history of what he does to players to turn them into NBA guards [who] last in the NBA.
“His pitch has really been he’s going to get me to the NBA.”
Toure’s parents along with his uncle Salif Boudie, who was a forward for Arkansas State from 2016-2019, accompanied him on his official visit to Fayetteville on Sept 12-14. He and his father, who trains him, made an unofficial visit to Arkansas for the LSU football game last fall.
Our 2025-26 Hawgs Illustrated Basketball Preview is here! Order a copy today
He announced a top seven of Arkansas, Maryland, Providence, Oregon, Louisville, Florida State and Connecticut on Aug. 20 before narrowing to his finalists.
ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi praised Toure’s athleticism and game after seeing him on the Adidas Circuit while playing for Boston Amateur Basketball Club.
“I love his athleticism,” Biancardi said in an earlier interview. “He’s one of the fastest, most vertical players in the class. He is extremely explosive with a quick second jump. He had a strong Adidas Euro Camp and summer with the BABC. Without question, he is one of the best finishers in the class and shows his dynamic transition ability in the open floor.
“His ball skills and processing have improved significantly, and he is a hard worker, so he will continue to take another step. He is closing the gap between his potential and production.”
ESPN rates him the nation’s No. 13 small forward and the No. 31 overall prospect.
Toure was named the 2024-25 Connecticut MaxPreps Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after averaging 25.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He shot 61.3% from the field, 34.3% from three-point range and 74.2% from the foul line.
He was also named the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and became the second Gatorade Connecticut Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from his school.
Toure is the second prospect to commitment Arkansas, joining Little Rock Christian 5-star prospect JaShawn “JJ” Andrews, who pledged to the Razorbacks in May.