SAINT-QUENTIN (France) - Usually, trains pass once in a lifetime.
Sometimes, you just have to bounce in it, figuring out the right moment to jump and hold on to the handles, without losing grip.
Unlike others, there might have been a full station of trains in line waiting for Nolan Traore.
Sooner or later, the right timing and opportunity would have come for the young French point guard, destined to occupy his team's control room. Whatever the team was.
Instead, a very specific train stopped by in March 2024 to let him start his professional career.
"It's an unconventional story," Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball's head coach Julien Mahe told the Basketball Champions League website.
Let us tell you about it. Mind the gap. Jump in.
Always trust your first instincts
If you ask any Bruins fan, their eyes will light up when hearing the name of Tyger Campbell.
Today with RASTA Vechta, next to another next gem like Johann Grunloh, he finished his college career as the second-best assist man in UCLA history. Europe came up next.
Gaining a promotion to the LNB, Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball relied on him to take responsibility for the team’s playmaking duties.
Everything was going well when a shoulder injury made his season finish earlier than expected.
"We were looking for a point guard, but we didn't find a good fit for us. In the meantime, we went to the Centre Federal to watch one game, planning for the following season," Mahe recalls.
It was love at (literally) first sight.
"We watched Nolan [Traore] and Mohamed Diakite, who's also with us now. That was the first time I watched Nolan playing live. I knew his name, I knew a little bit how he played, but nothing more."
It might have been a lucky coincidence or a sign of the universe: Saint-Quentin's head coach found right there the right replacement for Tyger Campbell.
"Two weeks later, we were still trying to find a good fit for us. And we started thinking with my coaching staff: 'Why don't we bring in Nolan?' At the end of the day, he's French, he's young, he has the potential. It was something completely out of the box, but we said: Why not?"
Indeed: why not?
On Sunday, March 24, Julien Mahe called Nolan Traore. On Friday, March 30, Saint-Quentin beat Monaco with the back-then 17-year-old point guard coming off the bench.
He was in the middle of his third and potentially final campaign with Centre Federal de Basket-Ball, the affiliated side of INSEP - one of France's most known training institutes. Just to name a few notable alumni: Boris Diaw, Tony Parker, Vincent Poirier… and the list goes on and on.
Nolan Traore was perfectly following the steps of high-level countrymen and basketball predecessors who went through such a trajectory.
In the 2023-24 season, playing in the French third division, he was shining with 16.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. But the temptation of jumping into the LNB train was too strong.
"They welcomed me well, kindly. It was a lot easier to come there and perform directly."
It was only a matter of time for Nolan Traore to deliver, despite his surprising debut in the top tier of French basketball. Julien Mahe remembers how he thought about adding him to the team.
"We knew he would have had some tough moments adapting to the team, the level and physicality of the league. But he was superb in the learning process: game by game, he was getting to know fast what he could and could not do."
In the middle of a race towards an unexpected goal like the LNB Play-Offs, the youngster immediately took advantage of one of those opportunities. Relieved by no pressure on his back.
"It was a good environment for a young player because we were not playing with any pressure. Our first goal was to stay in the league as newcomers to the LNB. From that on, it was only a bonus: it was the most ideal situation for Nolan," Mahe underlines.
And while Saint-Quentin’s head coach tried "to be very demanding with him," Traore himself was conscious about the context, as Julien Mahe made sure to observe his reactions.
"He came in with the right mindset, ready to work and improve."
From leaving INSEP, which Nolan describes as "the best option" he had and "an amazing place basketball-wise," he celebrated his 18th birthday with a Play-Offs series already in his resume.
"He surely surprised us, in the game against Chalon [becoming the youngest ever to score 25 points in the LNB] or in the Play-Offs against ASVEL. He showed an incredible scoring ability against great teams. He stepped up during those last two months of the season," Mahe says.
In the back-to-back defeats to ASVEL, he averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 assists per game over 50.0 percent from two, 40.0 percent from deep, and a perfect 100.0 percent at the line.
Only four days after the season ended with Saint-Quentin, he traveled to Berlin alongside Lamine Kebe's INSEP to be featured in the 2023-24 ANGT Finals.
The result? A record-breaking 45-point performance against Barcelona and a one-point defeat to Real Madrid in the ultimate clash.
"He was outstanding at the ANGT Finals, but he even proved himself in professional basketball," his current head coach states.
Not bad for a first impression. Especially if hundreds of NBA scouts are following you closely.
Never change what makes you happy
Avoiding higher stages and brighter spotlights to make a name for yourself as a young French basketball player in a smaller-scale environment is becoming a tendency.
Victor Wembanyama, Zaccharie Risacher, and Tidjane Salaun - named the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Best Young Player in Cholet Basket - are only a few examples.
Nolan Traore is following those kind of footsteps in the area that gave birth to Rudy Gobert and the Somme River. And it makes perfect sense, considering how their love story began.
"I like the place, the coaching staff, the players. I appreciated my time here last year. Why shouldn't I stay here?" Nolan's question may even sound like a rhetorical one.
Actually, he had a lot of options on his table. Sticking with Saint-Quentin was one of them. Playing over two competitions way before turning 19 was an extra feature.
"Week after week, both parties understood it would be a good fit for the following season. Qualifying for the BCL Regular Season helped us a lot because he knew it would be a very high level of competition for a young age and with a high-potential player like him," Mahe says.
For a guy who "didn't have another dream other than basketball," maximizing his chances to emerge at a high level is pretty much a priority. Saint-Quentin is helping him in that regard.
Speaking about debuting in the European landscape, he immediately took over.
His 27-point night over 9-of-18 from the field with 5 assists, 2 steals, and no turnovers against Kolossos H Hotels was the icing on the cake of a 30-point margin win (84-54).
Nobody under 21 years of age has ever scored that much in BCL history. Alperen Sengun was the previous record holder with a 25-point and 13-rebound losing effort against ERA Nymburk representing Teksut Bandirma in the Round of 16 in 2019-20.
The two matchups against the Greeks finished with as many wins by Saint-Quentin. Facing Karsiyaka and La Laguna Tenerife ended with an 0-4 record, going up against established veterans of his playing position like Marcelinho Huertas and Errick McCollum.
"It's always great to play against those guys, they are really talented. They are one of the best in the world. So of course, I'm just trying to grab info and advice if I can and learn from them."
What kind of information would Nolan Traore take from them? Well, it's self-explanatory.
"I just try to take everything. I tried to take it easy, getting to know how they see the game as it goes by, and what they do in a certain type of situation."
Now that he has tasted what playing Internationally means, as he entered the Play-Ins with 12.2 points and 4.0 assists per game over 29.1 percent of usage, Nolan Traore highly values the BCL level.
"The competition is very serious. There are big teams and good and talented players. I think it's one of the best in Europe, for sure. It's really great to be able to play in this competition."
Julien Mahe is also thankful he has been going through his path.
"Nolan grabbed confidence very early in the first stage of the BCL. Also, the four games against Karsiyaka and Tenerife were interesting, because against those teams you surely can't run fast for 40 minutes."
"They’re able to stop you, they're very physical, they pick you early. It's not easy, as they put a wall in front of you. They know your strength and you have to find other ways to beat them. That's the process we are working on," Saint-Quentin's tactician stresses.
Getting out of his comfort zone, characterized by a high-tempo and up-the-court flowing motion to get the team going, could be the sweetest of bittersweet treats.
"We see the big picture with Nolan this season: it's about understanding the game, seeing when we can run the floor when we have to use set plays, and which kind of set plays to run. We obviously have other weapons in the team, so it's up to him to try to involve everybody and find whoever is in a better position to maximize our chances."
All of this while he is 18. That's something most viewers take for granted. Eighteen.
"It's tough to be a real point guard at 18. That’s what I say every time I talk about him: he's 18. Being a point guard in the LNB and in the BCL at 18 is no easy task.”
Indeed.
Liberté, Egalité, Traoré
If being a club point guard at 18 isn't the easiest of jobs, imagine for your country.
Nolan Traore already represented France at youth level, playing at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 – winning bronze while BAXI Manresa's Mario Saint-Supery grabbed the MVP award with Spain - and at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023.
Lastly, at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, he couldn't bring a medal to his team, but still finished as the competition's best passer (9.3 assists per game), while also scoring 14.0 points a night.
In Frederic Fauthoux's newest course on the French national team's bench, which started with the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in November, space and opportunities were given to the basketball future of the country. Nolan Traore had to be there.
"It was great to be around players in the national team. The opportunity to practice with those guys and learn from them was incredible. Playing for your country is always a special feeling."
The first two caps against Cyprus - one of the four FIBA EuroBasket 2025 hosts alongside Latvia, Finland and Poland - are just the beginning of his journey with the national team.
"Frederic [Fauthoux] sent a big message by selecting him during the window. We will see what happens in February. He's still young, but for sure he could be one of the solutions [for France's point guard position]," Julien Mahe underlines.
"France is full of good players, and a lot fit perfectly with how France wants to play. Nolan included. In the next months and years, it could only grow from here. Nolan has done amazing things for France even at U16 and U18 levels. So, it's important for him to carry that French national team's jersey on his shoulders."
Representing a new wave of players with the French national team, alongside guys like Victor Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly, Noa Essengue, Zaccharie Risacher, and many more is only one of the accolades Nolan Traore can take from his upcoming years.
At the end of the day, he can become the next big point guard for France, following the steps of established veterans like Nando De Colo or Tony Parker. Keeping comparisons aside.
"He got some models, but he brings the name by himself. It's not easy to compare him with someone else. Here in France, we can see some flashes of Tony Parker," Mahe first says about the rumored comparison drawn between the former San Antonio Spurs legend and Traore.
"He reached the professional level at a young age; he has the ability to change pace like we saw with Tony 25 years ago. It could be maybe a good comparison, even though I'm not a big fan of this because it puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders."
Tony Parker isn't the only one Nolan Traore has been compared to. One of this season's rivals and one of his teammates do agree on another name. Don't jump off the train before finding out.
Making sure he's ready for the next level
In the 1998-99 season, Jerome Robinson Sr. was stealing the show in France with a three-point storm. He concluded his campaign in Nancy with 44.6 percent on three-pointers.
That made him a candidate for the LNB All-Star Game, taking home the Three-Point Contest. 26 years later, his son found himself within the elite of the French domestic league as well.
While Le Mans's Trevor Hudgins brought home the three-point jewelry, Jerome Robinson had the opportunity, in his first overseas appearance, to go up against one of his teammates.
Weird, but fun. Especially since your chemistry grew on an unexpected basis.
"I learned of Nolan through the process of coming to Saint-Quentin. My goal was to get back to the United States and play: I needed a different exposure. My agent told me here there was the opportunity of playing with a projected high NBA Draft pick," Robinson opens up to the BCL website.
A little bit of ego has never hurt anybody.
"My agent told me scouts would have been around a lot to look at this young French point guard. I told coach [Julien Mahe] a big reason why I was coming here linked to Nolan playing. And they assured me about him staying for the whole year with the team."
Other than being a shoulder-to-shoulder teammate on this journey in Saint-Quentin, the team's BCL highest scorer at 13.7 points per game is also a former NBA Draft pick.
Chosen as the 13th pick in 2018 by the Los Angeles Clippers, he can be a good source of knowledge for Nolan Traore when he crosses the Ocean next summer.
"As somebody who's been through that process, I thought I could have been the right guy to teach him the ropes, answer any questions he had, or simply help him in any kind of way. Because there were a lot of things I didn't know about until I experienced them, and life is about experience. I can just show him anything he needs towards his next step."
Thus far, Saint-Quentin's shooting guard has been doing his best to accompany him through this journey. Even though, at first, Nolan isn't the most talkative of teammates.
"He's a little bit quiet, so with him you wouldn't really know what's going on inside his mind. You have no idea, but that he can hoop. He grinds every day, heads down. And he's not worried about that: he just wants to win for us, with us. I love that attitude."
What's special about the 18-year-old point guard is how he transforms a quiet and noiseless attitude to loud actions with the ball in his hands. The way he attacks the basket, for example.
"He's a very strategic player. He has a high basketball IQ, he's reading the game. Often, he tries to get people in the right places, and then all of a sudden, he just attacks. He can catch you off guard at times, he's at full speed trying to score or looking for the right pass," Robinson says.
Coach Mahe agrees.
"When he can find the rhythm and the change of pace, he's completely incredible. He needs to find that rhythm and he likes to play fast. This is something we are working on with him. Of course, we need to find a good balance."
"Sometimes you can feel he can't completely use his ability to go full speed at the rim, as he's facing a different type of defense on the pick-and-roll. But surely whenever he can run the floor and catch the ball in motion, he's unstoppable. This is something we try to do on our team, putting him in this type of position."
Despite showcasing a certain scoring propensity in the way he handles the game for his team by leading on the court, Nolan Traore surely knows when to pass the ball. Game by game and day by day, Saint-Quentin's playmaker is boosting his unselfishness.
"He can go all the way to the basket but also find solutions for his teammates. He's very good at driving and kicking situations. His change of pace with the ball and the ability he has to beat his defender one-on-one is really impressive," Mahe also comments.
Here comes the comparison first drawn by former Karsiyaka leader Errick McCollum in an interview with Eurohoops and then by Jerome Robinson himself.
"I got to play with Russell [Westbrook] in Washington. Nolan's game-IQ, how he gets his teammates involved, and his speed are definitely a good comparison with Russ. I like this comparison, and I even think at this age he shoots the ball really well. It’s the best fitting one."
So, where could Nolan Traore really improve? If you talk directly to the protagonist, the answer is as clear as the sky on a sunny day.
"I have to improve everywhere. In any part of the game, I need to be capable of playing at a high level during the full 40 minutes, being able to play at my best level all game long."
If you ask the same question to his coach, there are specific aspects where he could improve.
"He's been showing some good stuff as an on-ball defender, and shooting-wise he's better than what the numbers say; but he must improve in that regard," Mahe answers.
Jerome Robinson, instead, believes he should make certain opponents' defensive reads better.
"He can improve on his assertiveness at times in the game. When there's a mismatch, for example, your best offense is for you to just go at it," he says.
"You don't have to run the play or set it up, making them stop you first and feed off that. That's the biggest thing I would stand out, honestly. Other than that, he's super solid as far as just an overall basketball player."
"He can dribble, pass, shoot, read the game, and lead the team: tons of things he does well. Once you go over to the NBA, it's all about what you can do great. Improving on everything is going to allow him to find what he knows he can do great, excelling on his next level."
Moreover, just like it's happening in the BCL Play-In series against Galatasaray - where Saint-Quentin looks forward to coming back in Game 2 on January 15 to avoid elimination - in which he's facing Will Cummings, facing veterans is a solid teaching.
"You don't usually get a chance to play against people who are 10 years older than you when you're in the United States unless you are in the NBA. It's a good preparation for what he will see next because he's going to face a lot of guys who are 10-15 years older than him."
Nolan Traore knows what he's all about. He's conscious about his talent, and on the court, he's always "trying to stay calm, lucid, and getting the right decisions" for Saint-Quentin. He probably knows he's "unique" too, using Julien Mahe's words.
"This is only the beginning of the journey for him. This is how we see things and how we are working for him: we focus on the next practice, the next game. Being a point guard with so many responsibilities for us is sometimes hard to manage each and every day. We are very focused on what we have to do better in the next weeks and months."
Whether Saint-Quentin will manage to tie the series with Galatasaray and extend their stay in the BCL or not, Nolan Traore has been showing why he's this special. Quiet by mouth, loud with his feet: the train doesn't stop, as there's a new conductor beyond the gap.
Destination? Future.