Hawa Doumbouya finds her home on the court at VCU

Alexis Washington, Assistant Sports Editor  

From street basketball to the Siegel Center, Hawa Doumbouya is a 6-foot-7-inch third-year forward whose game is as bold as her journey. 

VCU women’s basketball added transfer Doumbouya, with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

“I’ve grown up in New York when I used to live in the Bronx, I used to really just be outside, playing [basketball] with grown men all the time,” Doumbouya said. 

Doumbouya said she developed her game off the court by watching YouTube videos of NBA guard Kyrie Irving. Doumbouya admires how Irving controls the game and slows it down when everything around him is moving fast.

“So when I touch the ball, I kind of just try to implement that to my game,” Doumbouya said. 

Doumbouya started her journey playing high school ball at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and Team Takeover. Coming out of high school, she was a four-star recruit by ESPNW. 

Doumbouya appeared in 13 games as a first-year at the University of Maryland, where she averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds, according to VCU Athletics. 

She then traveled to the University of Virginia following her first year, but she did not see the court and redshirted her second year. 

Faith and family, especially her grandmother, kept her rooted through the process, Doumbouya said.

“She’s basically like my best friend, so every time I have a conversation with her, I could be feeling so anxious and just going through a lot, and talking with her would just keep me grounded,” she said. 

Doumbouya enjoys Richmond because it reminds her of home in New York. She said she is ready to start her new journey with VCU. 

“I could say with everything in me, I 100% believe that every person on this staff, really has my good intentions and heart,” Doumbouya said. “I could also say that they all 100% believe in me.”

Head coach Beth O’Boyle said she is excited to have Doumbouya on the team. Coming off a 12-19 record last season, the coaching staff brought in players from different programs who all share one goal: to compete for a championship. 

“She is a dominant post player, obviously, with her height, but she’s a really great passer,”  O’Boyle said. “She’s great vision around the floor.”

O’Boyle explained her plans to utilize Doumbouya’s size on both ends of the game. 

“She sees the floor well, so we’re going to play off some of those passes, but then when it’s single coverage, we’re going to tell her to go strong and finish,” O’Boyle said. “She does have a really nice touch around the hoop.”

Doumbouya really wanted to be part of VCU’s program, which really stuck out to the coaching staff, according to O’Boyle. She describes Doumbouya in three ways: strong, funny and having a high basketball IQ.

“I think just there’s a strength that she plays with, that it’s almost like a quiet strength,” O’Boyle said. “I think she doesn’t even quite realize yet how dominant she can be.”

Doumbouya is able to see the floor very well during gameplay which is a testament to her game. 

She also has a good sense of humor that comes out in a caring way, O’Boyle said. Doumbouya often plays with O’Boyle’s daughter during practice, always smiling at her. 

Doumbouya will make her VCU debut when the team takes on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 5 at the Siegel Center.