Calipari Has Rising Star in 5-Star Abdou Toure For Next Season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The rise of Arkansas small forward signee Abdou Toure shouldn't surprise anyone at this point.

While once rated a 4-star in the mid-60s in the 2026 class, he has seen his stock rise consistently and sometimes maybe not as fast as it should.

The 6-foot-5, 200 pound wing is a perfect fit for what Razorbacks' coach John Calipari likes to implement on both ends of the court. He's an athletic wing who can play multiple positions and use his length as a disruptive force defensively.

Built much like many other vintage Calipari wings, Toure has proven to be an exceptional slasher to the basket who wants to tear the rim off the backboard when given the chance.

Rivals' lead basketball scout Jamie Shaw has given Toure a generous bump in the latest evaluation period given how he's performed at the national level while his senior year at Notre Dame High School continues. He is now rated as the No. 11 player in his class, No. 4 among shooting guards and remains the No. 1 player in Connecticut.

"There were questions as to, how could he consistently score," Shaw said during his Next Gen Hoops podcast. "Is he a three man? Is he a four man, all that type of stuff.

"What he consistently did was he was able to collect stocks, 'steals plus blocks', playing the basketball, guarding, able to guard on the perimeter. Open his hips, slide down weak side shot block. He's actually a very good shot blocker that side, but he was a high, high level defensive player, able to play in transition, get above the rim."

💥 Abdou Toure’s rise to 5⭐️ wasn’t accidental.

Here’s what’s separating him & the growth behind his senior-year surge. 👀 https://t.co/oNCU5Wl79z pic.twitter.com/jSbYVd1B4Y
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) February 11, 2026

Toure certainly knows how to get above the rim on a consistent basis as that's his biggest strength on the offensive end. When anyone turns on his tape, there isn't a high ball screen he doesn't like when he sees the floor open up a bit as he looks for creases in the lane.

During one of Toure's most recent national events at the HoopHall classic in Springfield, Missouri, he went head-to-head with No. 3 prospect and Missouri Tigers signee Jason Crowe.

While Crowe, the nation's No. 4 prospect by ESPN, scored 41 points to help his team escape with a narrow 81-80 victory, the future Razorback was special in his own right. He stuffed the stat-sheet with 31 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and six blocks.

That wasn't Toure's only epic scoring performance as of late either as he electrified the City of Palms Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida over Christmas break. He flashed the typical John Calipari wing skill set as a slasher to the hoop while scoring 41 points and snagging eight rebounds on 16-of-20 attempts from the field, including a 2-of-5 mark from three.

"[Toure] is showing he knows how to score the basketball," Shaw said. He's showing the balance and the footwork. He's adding the defensive action that he has is one of the top level perimeter defenders in this class, with the ability to efficiently go out and score points. He's showing the ability, as you mentioned, to get to his spot in the half court. Still got to polish it up. And still some ways he's got to a ways to go with the footwork.

"In some ways he's got to go with the balance points, collecting himself to rise up fully. He's showing that he knows how to efficiently score."

One of the biggest improvements Toure's made as a senior which will help his development along the way is becoming more of an efficient three level scorer. He's made 50% of his attempts from the field this season and his three-point percentage continues to rise up to 40% although it's at a lower volume around two attempts per game from deep.

5-star shooting guard Abdou Tour — Abdou Toure won first place in the dunk contest. Basketball players competed in the Edison National Bank Slam Dunk Championship Sunday Dec. 21, 2025, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. This is one of the events in the GEICO City of Palms Classic basketball tournament. | Ricardo Rolon / USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Most young players will try to be someone they aren't at this point, but it's obvious Toure knows exactly who he is and is comfortable in his role and is effective in it. Calipari has been known to target his player's weaknesses and try to make them so uncomfortable in a practice to make them unafraid during any game situation.

"Then there is that high wire explosion," Shaw said. "If you get him downhill in a straight line, [Toure] is going to try to dunk on you. He will try to tear the rim off, as we saw that he did with two hands. What the very first play of that game in HoopHall, when he was going up against Jason Crowe and Inglewood. He came downhill, went up two hands, chest to chest, and continued to rise.

"As a 6-foot-5 guard, he's got a natural ability to know how to score the basketball, and that's tightening up."

His recent uptick in offensive efficiency has done him more good than anyone else in his class, and is a major reason why Shaw sees Toure as someone who could be among the best players in his class in a matter of five years.

"The upside is incredibly high for Abdou Toure," Shaw said. "It's high enough that if he continues to grow and play for [Calipari], we know what he's done with guards in the past. If he continues to grow his game and put things together, there could be a conversation I could see five years down the road where he could be in the conversation for the best player in this class.

"His ceiling is incredibly high, and it's really good to see his two-way ability and his ability to continue to grow toward his ceiling in a way that's just incredibly valuable as he continues to move forward."

Arkansas and all college basketball fans can catch the full podcast by clicking on the YouTube video below.

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