Mayé Touré takes everything one day at a time.
That’s how she approaches practice. It’s how she wants to learn from her teammates and coaches.
And finally, after transferring from Rhode Island this offseason, the redshirt senior forward is using that mentality to find her stride in No. 22 Utah’s offense.
On Saturday, Touré finished with a team-high 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Utes' 69-42 win over Houston. She’s now averaging 13.8 points per game this season and has scored over 20 points in two of the last three contests.
“I think just practicing together and getting adapted to the system more is just helping,” Touré said after Utah’s win. “I think my teammates are great. They learn how to play with me every day, and they put me in great position to succeed. I couldn’t just do that by myself. So it’s just team chemistry that we’re building.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes forward Maye Toure (21) brings the ball down the court during the first half of the game at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
Utah first-year head coach Gavin Petersen says Touré is just now starting to scratch the surface of her potential.
“She’s mature, and she’s very skilled,” Petersen said. “The word potential is still out there, because she’s still has a ways to go, but she’s a student of the game. She’s always in my office asking, ‘What do you mean by this? Can we watch film?’ She’s willing to grow. We’re also holding her to a higher standard, and we’re going to keep moving that standard so she can’t reach it, just because I think that’s how good she can become.
“I think you’re starting to see a little bit more consistency out of her, and that’s going to be scary come March.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes forward Maye Toure (21) as Utah hosts Arizona State, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
Last season, the Utes relied on former star forward Alissa Pili for dominance in the post. She averaged 21.4 points per game and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team.
While Touré‘s output hasn’t matched the pace of Pili’s from a season ago, her presence has helped continue Utah’s dominance in the post. Touré is also a significant threat from beyond the arc.
She’s shooting 36.1% from 3-point range this season.
“When you have a dominant post presence inside, like we do with Mayé, it just opens up the floor for everyone,” Utah guard Gianna Kneepkens said. “It makes it easy. (We’re just continuing to build, like she was talking about, team chemistry. We’re able to just build off each other and play off each other. I think it’s getting more and more consistent in every game.”
If the Utes want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, Touré‘s consistency will have to be present moving forward.
So far she’s passed that test.
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