Arizona basketball: Sali Kourouma raising money via GoFundMe to rebuild parents' home in Mali

Arizona women’s basketball player Sali Kourouma has started a new GoFundMe campaign in recent days to help her parents rebuild their home, which was destroyed in a storm in the West African nation of Mali.

Within the last couple of years, a storm destroyed her family’s house, and they have not been able to rebuild. Kourouma’s mom, Souleymane Kourouma, and dad, Fatoumatou Guiro, have been living with one of her uncles on her dad’s side of the family.

Sali Kourouma did not hear about the devastating news until months after it happened; her mom told her she didn’t want to put more pressure on her daughter.

“I am the first child to attend (college) and out of the country, so that’s why my mom didn’t tell me earlier,” she said. “I like to work hard and do everything for them. She knew that if she told me earlier, I would tell her that I’m going to just come back home and try to work and help them.”

A transfer to the UA this season, Sali Kourouma started a GoFundMe while playing at the University of Arkansas Little Rock but did not raise enough money. So she is trying once again, this time with a goal of $50,000. As of Saturday afternoon, she had raised nearly $8,500.

Her teammates have been helping her by donating and sharing the GoFundMe with their followers on Instagram.

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Kourouma, a spark off the bench for the Wildcats, is averaging 9.7 points (50% from the field) and grabbing 1.2 steals in 21 minutes per game.

The 5-11 wing also said that she splits everything, including her scholarship money with her parents each month, “I divide by two and give them half.”

“I try to manage with the other half,” Kourouma said. “It is tough because if you’re not from here, you’ve got to pay taxes. You have to pay the rent. The electricity is a lot. I’m trying to manage all that together with going to school and playing basketball.”