It has been a busy spring for Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero, one of the most highly recruited basketball players in the country who doubles as one of the top high jumpers in the state.
“I’m still doing full-time track,” she said. “I go to all the practices, go home for an hour, and then go straight to AAU. Definitely working on balancing both sports.”
All while working toward picking a college home, as well.
With 52 scholarship offers and now ranked among the top 30 players in her class nationally, Thiero, a 6-foot-5 junior, is in higher demand than any girls basketball player from the WPIAL since the great Swin Cash, a 1998 McKeesport graduate who three years ago was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cash ultimately picked Connecticut over Tennessee.
“I wasn’t around when Swin came through, but since Swin there hasn’t been anyone as highly recruited as Mimi,” said Thiero’s AAU basketball coach, Jamal Woodson of Slaam.
Earlier this month, ESPN tabbed Thiero as the No. 27 player in its latest national rankings for the Class of 2026. She had previously been ranked No. 55. Thiero also recently participated in the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp in Tampa, Fla., which included 45 of the top players in the country.
Thiero’s many offers include Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Arkansas and Illinois. Duquesne, Penn State, Pitt and Robert Morris have all offered, as well. Thiero said that an assistant from national champion UConn has reached out, and Woodson added that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Huskies and some other heavyweights offer over the next few months.
“UConn just wants to know how physical she can be,” Woodson said. “Is she a dog? Mimi is like an untapped source. She doesn’t realize her strengths or capabilities yet.”
Thiero is coming off an exceptional junior season that saw her average 23.1 points, 16.7 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 3.8 blocked shots and 3.2 steals per game on her way to earning Class 3A first-team all-state honors. Thiero led the Quakers to a 15-10 record and the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals after they went 5-16 a season earlier.
Recruiting is going well, Thiero said, adding that she will soon be setting up some official visits. One of them is already locked in.
“The only visit I have scheduled is Michigan, and that’s around August,” she said.
Thiero, a 4.0 student, also knows when she will be announcing her decision. That would be Sept. 17, which will be her 18th birthday.
Before then, Thiero said she is hoping to win WPIAL and PIAA titles in the high jump, and she’s also looking forward to seeing her brother Adou be picked in June’s NBA Draft after he declared earlier this month. And if Mimi gets her way, big brother will be selected by her favorite team, the Lakers.
“It was really exciting to see that he got his dreams,” Mimi said. “I have the same type of dreams. Seeing that he achieved it definitely shows that I can do the same.”
Football or hoops for Mayo?
Beaver’s Brady Mayo signed with Bucknell to play football back in December. But following an outstanding season on the basketball court, Mayo is considering playing that sport in college instead.
“[Playing football is] still the plan,” he said, “but I have been getting some Division II full rides [in basketball], so I’m just thinking it all through.”
Mayo, who is playing AAU for Caveman in the Hoop Group Showcase League, said that several PSAC schools have extended him offers. For good reason, too. As a senior, Mayo ranked among the WPIAL’s top scorers with 26.2 points a game to go along with 6.5 points and 3.3 assists. Mayo scored a career-high 45 points in a win against Avonworth that earned Beaver a share of the section title, and finished his career with 1,751 points.
Mayo was an all-conference player in football who was recruited to Bucknell to play defensive back. In addition to AAU basketball, Mayo is also running track this spring. He owns one of the top 400-meter dash times in WPIAL Class 2A.
Carmichael to Edinboro
The WPIAL’s leading scorer will play college basketball at Edinboro.
Avonworth’s Rowan Carmichael, a 6-foot senior guard, committed to Edinboro last week, choosing the Fighting Scots over Gannon. Carmichael visited both schools, along with Pitt Johnstown, Wheeling and Coker.
Edinboro extended Carmichael his first offer following his sophomore season and had kept close tabs on him ever since.
“The very first day they could talk to [Class of 2025 players], coach [Justin] Jennings called me and offered. Having someone believe in me from Day 1, that stuck with me the whole way,” Carmichael said.
Carmichael, a PUP first-team all-star selection, had a fantastic senior season at Avonworth, pouring in a WPIAL-best 31.9 points per game while powering the Antelopes to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals for the second year in a row. A terrific shooter, Carmichael shot 40% from 3-point range and connected on 103 3-pointers. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 4 steals and 2.5 assists per game. Carmichael finished 2,342 career points, most in school history.
A hammer to The Rock
Slippery Rock landed one of the WPIAL’s top basketball players when Imani Christian’s RJ Sledge committed to The Rock on Saturday.
Sledge, a 5-11 senior guard, led all WPIAL Class 6A players in scoring this past season when he pumped in 22.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.6 steals and 4.2 rebounds a game while helping Imani Christian reach the WPIAL quarterfinals. A PUP second-team all-star pick, Sledge scored at least 33 points four times, which included a season-best 38 points against Don Bosco Prep, N.J.
Not only did Slippery Rock pick up a standout player, but it also got one who knows how to win. Sledge captured three WPIAL and three PIAA titles in his career.
Basketball commitments
Neighborhood Academy’s Shamar Simpson (La Roche); Upper St. Clair’s Niko Gidas (Saint Vincent).
Football commitment
Mt. Lebanon’s Grayson Beck (Princeton).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.