When you stand 6-foot-10 as 17-year-old Tallis Toure does and play high school as well as travel team ball (Jalen Green Elite), how can you be under the radar regarding recruiting? Let's break down the usual tropes.
Don't assistant coaches incessantly work their contacts asking about who is new plus who they should be pursuing? Isn't that a major component in how assistants earn the cred that garners them a reputation as talent finders, with the next step being sitting in The Hot Seat?
Aren't there seemingly also a million and one 'recruiting gurus' roaming the gyms and outdoor courts of America looking to get their national break by being the very first to note a talented newcomer's presence?
C'mon, is Roseville a backwater, not even on Google Maps, just a one stop sign town?
Toure is real, no Sid Finch of Sports Illustrated/George Plimpton fame. Born in California, Tallis had his formative years with his mother in Arizona. He came back to live with his father in Roseville in the 7th grade and is now a senior attending a newish (opened in August 2020) West Park High in Roseville, a suburb of and east of Sacramento. He is "an outstanding young man and human being" according to West Park Basketball Coach John Hunter. "There's depth to him." Hunter also noted, "Tallis is a 4.0 student and taking AP courses. He challenges himself." Hunter said that on the basketball court this season, Toure is shooting 60% from the floor, 40% from three-point range.
The only school to have offered him at this point is Sacramento State so credit Coach David Patrick and Company for not only knowing of Toure but already having determined he could help the Hornets basketball program in this day of coaches preferring to work the transfer portal for college experienced new talent.
Background
Tallis' father immigrated to the U.S. from the Ivory Coast in West Africa and furthered his education with a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sacramento State.
In the family, academics are as paramount if not more so than athletics. Asked about his college major, Tallas offered, "computer science or engineering."
Heritage is also important as the family has twice traveled back to Ivory Coast, 2017 being the last time, which has allowed Tallis to explore his family roots and better understand the what, where and why of his father's emigration.
Asked about his best basketball skills, Tallis modestly said, "definitely blocking shots at the defensive end and I'm pretty decent across the board."
Although he played basketball here and there, "7th grade was the first time I joined a team." Prior to that, it was mostly soccer and football at the park.
What Toure Wants
What is he looking for in a college hoops program? "For me, it's a great culture. I haven't been able to experience that since my school is just four years old." Also, "I know that I haven't reached my full potential and I want to be in a program that works with me to get there." His desire is to also be at a school with strong academics and a structure within the hoops program that emphasizes doing well in school. With West Park High, it's a 10-minute walk to school for Toure and he has enjoyed the academics.
His best basketball moment came "last year when we beat Placer at home with a game winner at the buzzer." Also memorable is "beating Nevada Union in my sophomore season. It was a league game, our only win in league, and we had no seniors."
Where does he see himself 20 years from now? "Well, having a degree. I want to go pro but, as my father says, you need an education to fall back on."
He offered thanks to "my Dad because he encouraged me to join a basketball team and has never complained about driving the long distances."
As to where he gets his height, considering his father stands 6-foot-1, "from my grandparents, both sides, as one grandfather was 6-foot-8 and the other was also tall."
In describing his participation in high school ball versus AAU ball, Toure explained, "it was a wakeup call for me. With travel ball, there were college coaches all around, other seven-footers and guys with crazy skills." He also made a comparison with the various levels of travel ball teams with "my first AAU team, we traveled to just Reno and the Bay Area. Last season (with a different program) we traveled to Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Las Vegas."
There is plenty of Tallis Toure to like now and just imagine what a couple of years will bring. Plus, his academics insures that no college coach will spend even a moment fretting about his grades. How his recruitment plays out further will be fascinating.
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