Coulibaly Does It All for the Aggies
Thomas Dick, Athletics Communications
A whole bunch of this. A whole bunch of that.
When entering the offseason, that’s what Texas A&M women’s basketball head coach Joni Taylor was looking to add to her roster.
When Aicha Coulibaly signed in July, that’s what she added to the Aggie roster.
“We are incredibly excited that Aicha chose to be a part of our Aggie Family,” Taylor said at the time of the signing. “The passion that she displays on the court is going to electrify Reed Arena. She has been one of the best two-way players in the SEC. Her experience and talent will have an immediate impact on our team.”
As expected, Taylor was spot on with her assessment.
Saturday’s 67-36 victory over Robert Morris put Coulibaly’s contributions on full display. In the first half, the Colonials were controlling the tempo and dictating the style of play. Despite the Aggies’ tepid performance, they led at halftime, 32-19, in large part because of Coulibaly. The Bamako, Mali, product led Texas A&M with 11 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting from the field to go with five rebounds, three steals, two assists and two steals.
“I noticed it early on,” Coulibaly said. “It was a tough game and they (her teammates) were having trouble getting shots to fall. I just felt like my shot was falling today.”
By the time the game was over, she stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.
“What she did today is really what she does every day in practice,” Aggie forward Lauren Ware said. “So what she does is not surprising to me or anybody.”
On the season, Coulibaly’s averages include 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. She has converted on 53.8% of her shots from the field and 71.9% from the free throw line.
Thumbing through the list of Aggie stat leaders one comes across Coulibaly’s name near the top of nearly every category. Scoring average – second. Field goal percentage – second. Rebounds – third. Assists – second. Steals – first. Blocked shots – second.
“I think she’s a really unselfish player,” Ware said. “We know she could go out and have 20 every game if she wanted to, but she’s going to feel things out and see what we need that game. She’s an amazing player, but she wants to win. So you know she’s not going to take it into her own hands and be selfish. That’s why everyone likes to play with her."
She sets the tone for everything we do. Either before practice or after practice, you’re going to find her getting up shots. She is one of our most consistent gym rats in terms of always being around and getting that extra work in.Head Coach Joni Taylor
Taylor was no stranger to the Aggie guard’s attributes having faced her on four occasions while Coulibaly was a two-time All-SEC Second Team performer at Auburn. In their last two meetings she neared a double-double.
Last season, Coulibaly logged 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals as Auburn defeated the Maroon & White, 65-66. As a sophomore she registered 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals as Auburn upset the Georgia Bulldogs, 65-60.
“She brings a level of intensity and a bulldog mentality that we were missing consistently,” Taylor said. “I think she wants to lead the way in doing that and she wants to be a part of a winning program. So it was two-fold. She knew she could help us. But she also knew that we could help her not only to pursue her individual dreams, but her dreams as it relates to what she wants to be a part of as far as a team.”
Following last season, Taylor was searching for rebounders, rim protectors, tenacious defenders and scorers who had to be hard workers and leaders. She found all of that in Coulibaly.
“The thing that’s so neat about her is she can fill up the stat sheet in so many other ways besides scoring,” Taylor said. “She is a rim protector and she also spends most of the game guarding the opponents’ best perimeter player. When she does all those things and then has a great night offensively, you’re happy for her, because she doesn’t care if she scores or not. She is an eager participant in whatever it is we’re asking her to do.”
As a junior at Auburn, Coulibaly ranked in the top 15 in the SEC in four categories, including fifth in steals (2.2 spg), sixth in scoring (16.0 ppg), 11th in field goal percentage (.410) and 13th in rebounding (6.5 rpg). She paced Auburn in scoring, rebounding, assists (2.7 apg) and steals. As a sophomore, she ranked fifth in the league in scoring (17.3 ppg), sixth in steals (2.2 spg) and ninth in rebounding (7.5 rpg).
In the transfer portal process, the high ceiling of the Aggie program under Coach Taylor made it easy for Coulibaly to dismiss last year’s 9-20 mark.
“Being in the transfer portal for me wasn’t about going to the best team from last year,” Coulibaly said. “I wanted to go somewhere where I can help. (When looking at Texas A&M) I didn’t look at the losing record. I looked at the people I would be around and how positive they were and how I can get better and get to the next level. I saw that in Joni and her staff. They care about us on and off the court. I feel like that’s what they bring to the table. They made me feel comfortable and they trusted me. So I’m just here to give it back to them on the court.”
For all that she does in games, Taylor believes what she does in practice and outside of practice has a bigger impact on the team.
“She’s one of our hardest workers,” Taylor said. “She sets the tone for everything we do. Either before practice or after practice, you’re going to find her getting up shots. She is one of our most consistent gym rats in terms of always being around and getting that extra work in. We talked about it a ton last year and we were working towards that, but to have someone step on the floor who models that every single day is fun to watch. It’s also fun to watch others jump on that train. Sometimes you don’t know what it looks like if you don’t have anyone who models it every day.”
Doing anything and everything it takes for the team to win is a task that Coulibaly has embraced wholeheartedly.
“At the end of the day, the numbers don’t matter,” Coulibaly said “It’s about winning. I’m focusing on that. You have to be willing to give up something so others can succeed. Having that mentality is the goal right now. The numbers will come, but what are you doing for the team?”
What Coulibaly is doing for the team is a whole bunch of this and a whole bunch of that.
