Mouhamed Dioubate is doing something surreal right now. He’s playing despite observing the Muslim holiday Ramadan. That’s when he fasts every day from dawn to dusk, an observance that started on February 17th and will end on March 19th.
Dioubate is going so far as to not rinsing his mouth during games if they’re played during hours of observance. Not only that, but Dioubate is still proving effective during his playing time while observing Ramadan.
“We’ve talked about it as a team. When you sacrifice,
when you make things sacred, you hope you spend your whole life making things sacred,” head coach Mark Pope said after Kentucky’s 91-77 win over Vanderbilt. “He is making this sacred. When you sacrifice to make things sacred, the payoff sometimes is rewarded by great play.
“Sometimes, it’s inside yourself, but you always get a payoff for making things sacred. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice to make things sacred, but that’s what he’s doing. I have unbelievable respect for him. To do it, at this point, in season. There’s nobody that’s making him do it. It’s just a sign of his devotion to his faith. His personal choice is not even rinse out his mouth during games.”
Dioubate played 24 minutes Saturday, scoring eight points, pulling down four rebounds, and collecting three steals.
“He comes out here and plays 24 minutes in a really, really competitive game, is incredibly physical, and never ever rinses his mouth out, and won’t for the next five hours until he eats again,” Pope said. “That’s a beautiful thing. When people make commitments like that, and they sacrifice to make things sacred, that’s special. It’s just who he is. I could talk about that for days because I’m really proud of him. It’s a great sign that we just be taking things in our life and making them sacred.”
If Kentucky goes far in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, this is a story that could garner attention on a national level.
