Impressive resume of Quaker Valley star Mimi Thiero includes playing above rim

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley hoopster Oumou “Mimi” Thiero has added yet another element to her repertoire.

A 6-foot-5 guard/forward and one of the most highly recruited female players in the state, Thiero threw down a dunk June 19 at the 2025 USA Women’s U19 National Team Trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“Yes, she did. She sent me a video of it while she was at the trials, ” QV coach Ken Johns said. ”We’ve seen it before, so I’m not surprised. To see her do that in that environment is pretty great, though.

“There were 27 of the best players in the country under the age of 19, and it was fun to see not only her do that but also to see the other players’ reactions. I think that was my favorite part.”

According to an ESPN basketball analyst at the recent NBA Draft, Thiero, the TribLive HSSN Girls Athlete of the Year, is the first high school girl in the state to record a dunk.

“I heard them say that on the broadcast, too,” Johns said. “I have no idea if that is true, but even if she isn’t the first, that is very elite company. I would not be surprised if she was the first to dunk it in the state.

“The thing that’s really great to me is that while that’s great and has been a goal of hers, she’s not totally fixated on it. She has worked hard on her all-around game.”

The 17-year-old Thiero, who will be a senior and fourth-year starter on the hardwood in 2025-26, also attended the Women’s Junior National Team minicamp in Tampa this spring.

She is a 4.0 student and has been a coveted commodity for college coaches on the recruiting trail throughout her brilliant high school career.

Thiero has received a truckful (more than 50) of NCAA Division I college offers, including from North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Penn State, Texas A&M, Northwestern, Clemson, Miami, Boston College, Providence and Kent State, along with Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris and many more.

The latest additions to her ever-growing scholarship list were Ohio State, Georgia, Houston, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Arizona and Missouri.

She also has garnered interest from Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Penn.

“It is a who’s who of big-time programs,” Johns said. “It might be easier to list the schools that have not been recruiting Mimi.”

Thiero averaged a double-double for the Quakers in 2024-25 with 23.1 points and 16.5 rebounds, along with 3.9 steals, 3.8 blocks and 3.2 assists per game. She scored 578 points and grabbed 413 rebounds, giving her 1,248 points and 915 rebounds for her three-year career.

Thiero also led the Quakers in several other categories last season, including field goal percentage (48%), steals (109), blocks (94), free-throw percentage (67%) and 3-point percentage (33%).

The mild-mannered hoopster earned both all-section and all-state honors, as well as a spot on the Trib’s Terrific 10 in 2024-25.

“Mimi has really embraced all of the opportunities and challenges that were in front of her and the team,” Johns said. “She continues to improve, and I know that she has a drive to get better. I am excited for her and to see how far she will go.

“What is so great and impressive is that she wants the team to win. She continues to stay focused on the team and her teammates, and all of the attention really hasn’t changed her approach and who she is. She and all the girls are great to be around.”

Quaker Valley improved from a 5-16 record two years ago to 15-10 last season. Thiero scored 30 or more points five times and grabbed 20 or more rebounds in six games, helping her team reach the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals.

And that was while every opponent schemed to stop her.

Thiero already stands third in QV girls basketball history in total points. ESPN has her ranked 35th nationally among all girls basketball players in the 2026 graduating class.

“One thing that is arguably most impressive about her is that she cares,” Johns said. “She cares about her team and teammates, she cares about improving herself and making her team better, and she cares about helping us be the best version of ourselves.

“That approach and attitude has not changed since she walked into the gym with us three years ago. I tell her that her attitude and her work ethic will take her far no matter where she goes and what she does. Those are things that make an impact and lead to success.”

After finishing 10-4 and in second place in Section 1-3A last winter, QV is looking to make a deeper playoff run in 2025-26. The Quakers won seven consecutive games at the end of the year, including a 39-35 victory over No. 10 seed McGuffey in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

In her team’s district playoff games, Thiero averaged 28.5 ppg and 14.7 rpg with 25 points and 13 rebounds against McGuffey, 32 and 14 versus Greensburg Central Catholic and 28 and 17 against Avonworth.

She was joined in the starting lineup by two freshmen, guard Keira Watson and forward Leasia Karto, junior guard Lucy Roig and sophomore guard Anna Campbell.

Watson ranked first on the team in assists with 88, or 3.5 per game, slightly ahead of Thiero’s 80 total (3.2 avg.). Watson also was the Quakers’ second-leading overall scorer.

Roig finished in the top three in four categories: steals, rebounds, assists and 3-point shooting percentage.

“We have had one of the better springs in terms of team and individual workouts since I started coaching (at QV),” John said. “The girls are working hard. That’s really all I ask of them. We just want to get better every day.

“With the majority of the team back, I’m excited to see how we improve and how our level of competitiveness increases. I think there’s a higher level we can get to since we have a core group together for another year, but we’ll see. We have a lot of work to do to be as good as we can be.”

QV’s top reserves in 2024-25 included sophomore guards Rose Cline and Maggie Watson, junior guard/forward Mia Floro, junior forward Lilly Millet and sophomore forward Annabel Miko.

Tags: Quaker Valley