Pronounced: sah-lee-MAH-too KOO-roo-mah
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon has added another talented transfer to its 2024-25 roster, signing 5-foot-11 forward Salimatou Kourouma from Arizona, head women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves announced Thursday.
Kourouma, a native of Kati, Mali, spent the 2023-24 season with the Wildcats after two seasons at Little Rock, where she was named 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in addition to an all-OVC first-team selection after she led the OVC in scoring at 16.8 points a night (17.8 points per game during conference play).
She added 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.0 assists a game while shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and was named OVC Player of the Week three times during her redshirt junior season. Kourouma scored in double figures 16 times with three double-doubles in 2022-23, with nine games of at least 20 points and a season-high 30 points coming against Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 7.
Last season with Arizona, Kourouma was limited to 13 games due to injury and missed the last 19 games of the season. She recorded six games in double figures, highlighted by a season-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting against then-No. 20 Gonzaga.
Kourouma’s first season at Little Rock saw her earn all-Sun Belt Conference second-team honors in 2021-22 while being named Sun Belt Player of the Week twice. She finished her redshirt sophomore season averaging a team-leading 18.4 points a night while shooting at a 40.0 percent clip to go with 5.9 rebounds per game (third on team). Kourouma dropped a career-high 32 points along with 10 rebounds against Memphis on Nov. 18, 2021, one of two 30-point games and one of 11 20-point efforts that season.
Additionally, she carded 19 games in double figures, three double-doubles and was named to the Sun Belt all-tournament team.
In three Division I seasons, Kourouma has averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field.
She began her collegiate career at Grayson College (Texas), where she was voted 2020-21 North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year after she averaged 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. She recorded 15 double-doubles and surpassed the 30-point mark five times.
Kourouma played her high school career at Life Prep Academy in Wichita, Kan., where she earned HCAA all-state accolades. Kourouma will be a graduate transfer when the 2024-25 season begins and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Salimatou Kourouma >> 5-11, Forward, Kati, Mali
Spent the 2023-24 season at Arizona after two seasons at Little Rock … Began her collegiate career at Grayson College (Texas) in 2019-20, where she redshirted her freshman season … Appeared in 13 games for Arizona in 2023-24 as a redshirt senior, missing the last 19 games due to injury … Averaged 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field … Recorded six games with 10 or more points, including four straight from Nov. 10-18 … Logged a season-high 17 points against 20th-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 20 on 7-of-10 shooting … Named 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and earned all-OVC first-team honors after leading the conference in scoring at 16.8 points per game (17.8 points per game during conference play) … Added 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.0 assists a game while shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and was named OVC Player of the Week three times … Scored in double figures 16 times as a redshirt junior, with nine games of at least 20 points and a season-best 30 points coming against Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 7, 2023 … Finished the season with three double-doubles and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds against Southeast Missouri State on Feb. 2, 2023 … As a redshirt sophomore in 2021-22 with the Trojans, averaged a team-best 18.4 points a night while shooting at a 40.0 percent clip to go with 5.9 rebounds per game (third on team) … A 2021-22 all-Sun Belt Conference second-team selection and was named Sun Belt Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks (Nov. 16, 23) … Dropped a career-high 32 points along with 10 rebounds against Memphis on Nov. 18, 2021, one of two games with at least 30 points that season and one of 11 20-point scoring efforts … Carded 19 games in double figures, three double-doubles and was named to the Sun Belt all-tournament team … Over three Division I seasons, she averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 41.6 percent … After redshirting her initial collegiate season at Grayson College, she was named North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year as a redshirt freshman in 2020-21 after averaging 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and shooting 51.5 percent from the field… Recorded 15 double-doubles and eclipsed the 30-point mark five times … Attended Life Prep Academy in Wichita, Kan., where she earned HCAA all-state accolades.
Graves on Kourouma: Sali is a talented and efficient scorer and rebounder and someone who can defend multiple positions. She moves smooth and fluid in the post and can also stretch out the defense and knock down the mid-range jumper and 3-pointers. Her experience, maturity and basketball IQ are through the roof and will be a welcome addition to our young team. We’re excited to get her to Eugene and get to work.
