'Ramadan Mo' Returns: Mo Dioubate embraces fast during Kentucky's home stretch

Kentucky vs. Auburn doesn’t tip off until 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, 7:30 p.m. local time. The late tip may not be fun for fans, but for Mo Dioubate, it’s a blessing. Wednesday marked the beginning of Ramadan. For the next 30 days, Muslims across the world, including Dioubate, will fast from sunrise to dusk, consuming no food and no water. With the sun setting in Auburn at approximately 5:30 p.m. CT, that means Dioubate will get to eat and hydrate before the high-stakes game vs. the Tigers.

Fasting for 12 hours a day is no easy feat, especially for a Division I college basketball player; however, it’s become part of life for Dioubate, who has observed Ramadan since he was a kid. During his first two seasons at Alabama, Dioubate worked with the team’s nutritionist, Amanda Branson, to come up with a game plan. When the sun set, he would break his fast with two shakes before bed. The next morning, he would wake up at 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. to eat a meal before sunrise. That was the routine for a month, stretching from the end of the regular season to the postseason, which included Alabama’s run to the Final Four his freshman year and the Elite Eight last season.

“She did a really good job with me,” Dioubate said of Branson to KSR in August. “I didn’t lose any weight. I actually gained two or three pounds during that month when I was fasting, because she was on me. She made sure I was consistent every day with my eating habits. It was pretty good. We had a good plan, and I think it helped me also in March.”

In the eight games Alabama played during Diobuate’s fast last year, he averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes, above his season averages. Some games, like those with afternoon tipoffs, were harder than others; however, Dioubate still fought through the hunger and thirst to bring his signature hustle to the court. In Alabama’s win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals — a late game, which meant a pregame meal — Diobuate had 13 points and 8 rebounds. It was one of four games in which he scored in double figures during the fast; in two of those, he also had 10+ rebounds.

As a freshman, Dioubate came off the bench in Alabama’s game vs. Grand Canyon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and put up nine points, five rebounds, and two blocks in the final 11 minutes to help push the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16. It was a performance made even more impressive by the fact that he did it on nearly an empty stomach, only able to grab a snack midgame once the sun set in Spokane. On social media, he dubbed himself “Ramadan Mo,” with emojis of a dancing man and a fully charged battery.

“I got lost in the game; the game came to me,” Dioubate told reporters, before quipping to a teammate later, “I’m just hungry as hell.”

Mouhamed Dioubate and Mohamed Wague both didn’t eat today until towards the end of the game because of Ramadan.

Here’s Nick Pringle asking them about it: pic.twitter.com/TNyesLnRmc

— Blake Byler (@blakebyler45) March 23, 2024

To Dioubate, not eating or drinking water from sunup to sundown is just one part of Ramadan; in fact, even though he’s a Division I athlete in the midst of the most important part of his season, he thinks it’s the easiest.

“I’m gonna say the fasting part of Ramadan, that’s the smaller part. That’s kind of the easy part. The hardest part is being disciplined and stopping certain habits you have for those 30 days. Like, you try to be the purest human being you could be. The most positive.”

Part of being the purest human being you can be? Praying more. Breaking bad habits during fasting hours, even cursing. No temper tantrums — even if some college basketball refs may test you. So, if you see Dioubate step down from a testy situation on the court and wonder why, look outside and see if the sun’s still up.

“I think it just teaches me how to be even more humble with my approach in life, and it definitely translates on the court as well. It teaches me how to be patient, because I can’t eat all day. I’ve got to be patient. It teaches me how to respect people more, how to go about certain situations where I could just walk away. You can’t get into any fights or any real arguments during hours of fasting.”

“There are a lot of things we can’t do during Ramadan. Being able to just stop that for that month, for God, it just shows how disciplined you are as a person. It shows your character, because that’s not easy to do. And we’re doing it every day. It’s consistent.”

Dioubate knows how to tackle a challenge. He grew up in Queens, New York, playing streetball in Lincoln Park. He followed in fellow Queens native Hamidou Diallo’s footsteps to Putnam Science Academy, and, eventually, Kentucky after a two-year detour to Alabama. This season, Dioubate is averaging 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game; those averages have dipped in SEC play, but he had nine points and five rebounds in Kentucky’s loss at Florida last week and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes vs. Georgia. He remains the Cats’ best defender and most aggressive rebounder. “Ramadan Mo” may be coming out at just the right time, because Kentucky needs to finish the regular season strong to secure good paths in the postseason.

The Cats have five regular-season games remaining, two of which tip off in the afternoon, vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 28 and vs. Florida on March 7. More afternoon games could be waiting in the SEC Tournament. Ramadan ends this year on Thursday, March 18, the first day of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Even though Dioubate may have ended his fast by the time Kentucky plays, he will continue its lessons, both on and off the court.

“It just teaches you the disciplines of life. And I feel like that’s how people should live on an everyday basis. That’s what the month is for, just to remind you of the way you’re supposed to live, the proper way, and just for you to continue to do it even after Ramadan is over.”