From Mali to Oxford, Ole Miss freshman Sira Thienou blazing a trail with talent, hard work

OXFORD, Miss. — The Republic of Mali in South Africa may be most famous for Timbuktu, a spiritual and cultural center, and the phrase that bears its name, “From here to Timbuktu.” But Mali is growing even more famous — at least in Oxford, Mississippi — for one of its own, the incomparable Siri Thienou of Ole Miss Women’s Basketball.

European explorers heard about Timbuktu and tried to make the long and treacherous trek to visit the city. Although not as treacherous a journey as centuries ago, Rebel freshman phenom Thienou has found her way 5,290 miles to Oxford, where she has proven herself quite an asset to the team.

We sat down to speak with Thienou and learn more about her life and experience with the sport of basketball.

Growing up in Mali

Thienou grew up in Mali with her parents and two siblings, a younger sister and an older brother.  We asked Thienou what it was like growing up in her native country. “I’m not going to say it was good. It was hard and it was fine sometimes in Africa. Like everybody, most of the people are trying to figure stuff out,” she began.

Siera Thienou

Thienou spoke about her siblings, Mariam and Bakary, and her relationship with each of them. “My sister (Mariam) is younger than me,” Thienou explained. “She is getting older now, but I am taller than her.  She is trying to be like me.  She is playing basketball because of me.  We used to play together and were always competing and fighting and stuff. Even at home, it’s always like that. But she’s like my best friend. I tell her everything. We’re always together. And she’s my friend outside of basketball. My big brother (Bakary) and I didn’t have a close relationship when we were little. But now, we’re getting along good.”

There is a five-hour time differential between Mali and Oxford, so Thienou isn’t always able to talk to her family daily. She told us how she communicates with them. “Not every day because of the time difference because sometimes I have time, and they don’t have time. When I have time here, they are sleeping, or it’s nighttime there. Sometimes I talk to them every day, but not every time. Sometimes, we text.  I try to call my mom (Wassa Touré) often, like every two days.”

Early years playing basketball

Thienou came to America from Mali to play basketball for Shining Star Sports Academy in Petersburg, VA. She is fortunate to have had the opportunity to return home to visit. She represented her country in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup. She also led Mali to a fifth-place finish at the event, scoring 15 points in six out of seven games.

Thienou is the only one of her family members who has visited America. We asked her if there was something she looked forward most to seeing when she arrived in America. “The basketball style,” she explains, “because we used to see the NBA and the WNBA. Everything looked good. In my country, everything is outside. The basketball court is outside. We play outside. But here, everything just looked good. I was excited to see all of that.”

Thienou loved basketball and was prepared to do anything she needed to become successful. She explained that she realized she may have a real future in the sport when she began getting attention.

Sira Thienou on realizing she might have a future in the sport

Senegal helped Thienou find an opportunity to attend high school at Shining Star Sports Academy in Virginia, where the school’s director, Star Willis, took the young player in as one of her own. Thienou spoke about Willis, telling us, “She’s like my mom right now. I call her mom. I was just talking to her right before. I learned everything from her. She’s the one who told me everything about college and stuff like that.”

Attention from colleges and the road to Oxford, Coach Yo

Thienou explained how she first began getting attention and offers from colleges.

“My first year (in America), it wasn’t really bad. It was fine. I was doing good. My second year, in the summer, I went to my country and played. We went to Spain and played again. I played against the USA. People saw me. I think Coach (McPhee-McCuin) saw me over there, I’m not really sure. But when I came back, I started getting some offers. It was really exciting. I was shocked. It was a dream come true. My first year, I had some offers. But it’s not like the Power Five offers. The offers I wanted to start getting were after summer, after the national team. I started getting people trying to call every day,” Thienou recalled.

Of course, Sira would not be in Oxford if it were not for Coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Ole Miss Women’s Basketball, two things that have profoundly impacted the path of Thienou’s life. She described her recruitment and her feelings about Coach McPhee-McCuin.

“Coach Yo and I talked for a while before the recruitment, before I committed. One day, I was in my country right before I watched their game. Do you remember when they went to the Sweet 16 and beat Stanford? I was watching that game. I didn’t know, to be honest, anything about Ole Miss. My mom called me. She said, ‘Ole Miss will call you.’ And I was like, Ole Miss? And I went to Google. I was trying to figure it out. I was trying to find stuff and learn something about them because I didn’t know anything about Ole Miss,” Thienou explained.

Sira Thienou on Coach Yo’s honesty and forthrightness

Goals for the season

Thienou has obviously worked hard and isn’t slowing down as she  has tallied many accomplishments this year already, including being named SEC Freshman of the Week twice.

She was magnificent in the Rebels’ win Sunday over Mississippi State in Starkville, and her defensive domination reached a new peak against the Bulldogs. She notched nine steals, a career-high. Those nine steals, in fact, were the most by an Ole Miss player since Armintie Price had 12 against Illinois on Dec. 2, 2006.

Thienou explained her personal goals for the season:

Sira Thienou on winning and being considered for SEC Freshman of the Year

Thienou is agile, smart, and a formidable opponent.  She doesn’t shy away from competition or back down from confrontation or adversity.  Knowing these are Thienou’s obvious strengths, we asked her where she feels her most significant strength lies.

“I think I’m really good at transition in basketball,” she noted. “Yes, I can catch and shoot. What people really don’t know about me is I can really play defense. I’m smart, and I can use my length. I can use my body, be smart and be in the passing lane. That’s how I score, stealing and going to the basket. It really works for me,” she continued.

When Thienou has downtime, she catches up on her rest, watches TikTok, and talks to people back home, if possible. The freshman is studying business but hasn’t decided if it’s the right major for her. We asked Thienou what she wished Ole Miss fans knew about her and the team.

Sira Thienou on what she wants fans to know about her and the team

The heart of a Rebel — and a winner

Sira Thienou, a young lady from Mali whose path led her to Ole Miss via Virginia, is already making a mark on Ole Miss Women’s Basketball.  Undoubtedly, she has the heart of a Rebel and understands what it takes to win and be successful.  More importantly, Thienou doesn’t shy away from the work ethic it takes to be a winner.  She sets goals and embraces whatever it takes to achieve them.

Rebel fans, the next time you watch Ole Miss Women’s Basketball, pay extra attention to Sira Thienou because when she reaches her senior season as a Rebel, you are going to want to be able to look back fondly on the years she spent in an Ole Miss uniform. Yes, Thienou is destined to be a Rebel to remember.  Hotty Toddy!