The University of Mississippi Athletics
From Overseas to Oxford: Meet Women’s Basketball’s Freshmen Class
10/9/2024 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. - With Ole Miss women’s basketball set to commence action this month, OleMissSports.com previews head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s sixth freshmen signing class.
Ole Miss welcomed four student-athletes to the program, each with international playing experience. The class consists of two guards and forwards, a piece.
Sira Thienou and Heloisa Carrera traveled to Oxford following appearances for their respective countries in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Basketball U19 World Cup in Spain.
Thienou averaged 15.4 points, 5.7 boards and three assists while representing her home country of Mali, all ranking in the top three on the team. Her scoring average was the 11th-highest among all competitors in the tournament. Thienou led Mali to its second-straight top-five finish in the tournament and third consecutive top-10 performance.
As a guard at Shining Stars Sports Academy in Petersburg, Va., Thienou scored over 18 points per game in 58 varsity appearances, according to MaxPreps. As a senior, she led the academy to a 26-5 record while pacing the team in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.
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— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) July 22, 2024
Where to next? pic.twitter.com/pkzJ0JlCx4
Carrera was Ole Miss’ first signee of the 2024-25 class, hailing from São Paulo, Brazil. The 6-foot-2 forward prepped at IMG Academy prior to signing with McPhee-McCuin and Ole Miss. She helped lead IMG Academy to the fourth-ranked girls’ team in Florida with a 23-4 record.
Carrera represented Brazil at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where she averaged 4.3 rebounds in seven appearances.
Meet our first freshman..
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) October 3, 2024
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Jite Gbemuotor and Fatumata Djaló join the Rebels as representatives of Europe. Gbemuotor was born in Nigeria but grew up in Slovenia, who she represents in international competition. Gbemuotor and Slovenia claimed the title in 2022’s FIBA U18 European Championships, where the forward averaged 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Prior to signing with Ole Miss, Gbemuotor competed with ZKK Cinkarna Celje of the Women’s Adriatic League. She was named the 2022 WABA Youth Player of the Year and was ranked among the best players in the league in 2024. As a professional, Gbemuotor averaged 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals.
The Jet is incoming ??
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) August 15, 2024
Welcome to The Sip Sophia!
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A native of Portugal, Djaló averaged 11.4 points in seven games at the 2023 U18 Women’s European Championship, a top-20 mark for the tournament. She also led Portugal’s team in points per game (10.0) at the U20 Women’s Eurobasket Championships this past summer.
Djaló made a name for herself as a capable defender, collecting 25 steals in the 14 combined international tournament games. She sported a +36-point differential at the Eurobasket Championship and made over 90 percent of her free throws.
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— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) July 29, 2024
Welcome to The 'Sip Fatu!
Fans have their first chance to catch the four rookies and the rest of the Rebel squad in Oxford for its lone exhibition of the season, hosting Christian Brothers on Monday, Oct. 28 at the SJB Pavilion. Ole Miss will then head overseas to begin the regular season against USC for the 2024 Aflac Oui-Play on Monday, Nov. 4.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
