Quaker Valley star Mimi Thiero excited to grow her game at Maryland

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, October 5, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley senior Oumou “Mimi” Thiero celebrated a significant birthday in her life with a major announcement.

It was a long and sometimes tedious process, but Thiero finally had an answer about her college commitment.

The 6-foot-5 senior who celebrated her 18th birthday Sept. 17 offered a verbal commitment that day to Maryland, opting for a Big Ten program that just made a trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16.

“Maryland felt like a great fit for me,” Thiero said. “The distance (from home) isn’t too far, and I feel like the Big Ten Conference is very competitive and will be very good for my development. Also, coach (Brenda) Frese repeatedly shows how well the Terrapins program develops players.”

Former Maryland players currently in the WNBA include Chloe Bibby (Indiana Fever), Kaila Charles (Golden State Valkyries), Brionna Jones (Atlanta Dream), Diamond Miller (Dallas Wings), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury) and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (Atlanta Dream).

Thiero’s list of finalists included Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan Vanderbilt and Clemson, along with Georgia Tech, Florida, Memphis, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oregon and Vanderbilt.

“My recruiting process went really well,” Thiero said. “I enjoyed getting to know so many coaches and all of their amazing programs and built so many great relationships.”

The QV standout joins five-star shooting guard Jordyn Jackson and 6-4 center Eva-Grace Yebila from England in the Terps’ 2026 recruiting class. This recruitment cycle could be key for Maryland as several program mainstays will graduate after the 2025-26 season.

“Mimi has been an outstanding representative of our Quaker Valley athletic program and as good as she is on the court, she is exceptional off the court,” said Mike Mastroianni, QV’s athletic director and boys basketball coach. “A high-level student, her discipline, leadership and maturity extend far beyond basketball. The balance of both will serve her well at the collegiate level and beyond.”

Thiero believes Maryland is the right program to display her talents — on and off the court — and for its educational process. The campus is located in College Park about 10 miles from Washington D.C.

“I think Maryland is a great fit for Mimi,” said Ken Johns, QV’s girls basketball coach. “Brenda Frese is an outstanding coach, and they have a great program. Based on what Mimi shared with me that she was looking for during the process, this is a really good decision for her.

“Maryland has been a good program for a while. The program has an impressive history of team success and putting players into professional basketball here and around the world. Being nationally ranked and making runs into the NCAA tournament is a regular thing at Maryland.”

Maryland went 25-8 last season under Frese, who won a national title there in 2006. The Terrapins’ most recent NCAA Tournament run ended with a four-point loss to South Carolina, the eventual national runner-up.

“Maryland’s prestigious program and playing for one of the top coaches in the country is such a terrific match for Mimi,” Mastroianni said, “and will allow her to grow and prosper and maximize her potential.”

Thiero scored 578 points and grabbed 413 rebounds in 2024-25, giving her 1,248 points and 915 rebounds for her three-year career. She averaged 23.1 points and 16.5 rebounds per game a year ago, and this year will have a chance to become the first girl at her school to account for 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

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

She was one of the highest-rated WPIAL girls basketball prospects and a top recruit in the country. ESPN rated her as a four-star prospect and ranked her 35th among recruits in the 2026 class.

Thiero averaged a double-double last season and landed all-section and all-state honors. She earned a spot among Trib HSSN’s Terrific 10 basketball all-stars and later was named the 2024-25 TribLive HSSN Girls Athlete of the Year after winning the WPIAL girls high jump event in Class 2A.

And, by the way, she can dunk a basketball.

“I am not sure what the exact plans are for Mimi, but I know they are excited to have her (at Maryland),” Johns said. “Her ability allows her to play multiple positions, so I’m sure that will be the case for her.”

The elite QV athlete comes from an unparalleled basketball family.

Her older brother, Adou, starred for the Quakers before going on to play at Kentucky and Arkansas for coach John Calipari. The now 6-8 Thiero was picked No. 36 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA draft in June.

Their father, Almamy, stands 6-9 and played collegiately at Memphis and Duquesne, and their mother, Mariam, is 6-4, played hoops at Oklahoma City and was an WNBA draft pick by the Washington Mystics.

“I’m really excited that Adou got drafted to the Lakers,” said younger sister Mimi. “My dad and I have always been LeBron (James) fans, so the Lakers are our favorite team, and we’re really excited that Adou gets to be a teammate with a legend.”

Mimi Thiero rapidly became one of the WPIAL’s most sought-after female basketball recruits due to her versatility and scoring touch.

She netted 30 or more points five times last season and secured 20 or more rebounds six times, helping the Quakers ultimately reach the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals.

Theiro ranks third in scoring in QV girls basketball history.

“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.

“I think the points, rebounds and her impact on the games speak for themselves. 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 won seven consecutive games at the end of last season, including a WPIAL playoff victory over McGuffey.

In the Quakers’ three postseason games, Thiero, who is virtually unstoppable with the basketball in either the frontcourt or backcourt, averaged 28.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per contest.

“The experience you get in playing in three playoff games is something you really can’t replicate except for being in those games,” Johns said. “A few of the players got a taste of that in previous years, but to get that for everyone and to have that heading into (this) season can only help.”

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

She received more than 50 NCAA Division I college offers, including bids from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris.

“Recruiting started for me with my first offer from Duquene in October of 2023,” she said, “then picked up more when AAU started in the summer of 2024, and especially when coaches could start contacting me June 1 of 2024.”

Thiero also garnered interest from Ivy League schools.

“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.”

The soft-spoken Thiero already has made her presence felt.

Tags: Quaker Valley