What do we say about Batouly Camara @toolyyy, a proud and fierce Muslimah who joined us for our most recent photo shoot for our Haute Hijab Shadow Black Sport hijabs? Batouly, known to us as Tooly, has been tearing up basketball courts for years, from playing professionally in Spain to winning the 2020 Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the ESPYs, to being named in the 2021 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 sports list, to now teaching basketball at her alma mater, Blair Academy.

Tooly is no stranger to success, Masha’Allah! In 2017 as a college student, she started the Women and Kids Empowerment Academy (WAKE), a non-profit organization that provides women and children in Guinea, West Africa (and other parts of the world including the U.S.) with access to world-class education, sports programs and further opportunities that otherwise would have been difficult to access.

We recently caught up with Tooly to talk about playing basketball and pursuing fitness as a covered Muslim woman, what the most challenging part of her basketball and spiritual journey is, and what she advises to Muslim women to get them to invest in themselves and their health.

What I enjoy about basketball has nothing to do with the game. I love the people. I love the sisterhood that I meet. That is 100 percent my favorite part of the game.

[In regards to the challenges], just not being so hard on yourself. I struggled with that as a player, I struggle with that as a coach now. That deep desire to want to get better, but understanding that takes time. I have to face the facts. I’m very solution-based. So, why am I feeling this? What can I change? [I have to remind myself that when I feel like this], this isn’t a permanent feeling. I [also] think labeling [my feelings] is huge for me, and then moving from there. Labeling for sure, gathering the data and creating a plan to move past [whatever I am going through].

I didn’t start playing basketball until I was 12. I was part of a lot of clubs [as a kid] – I was in dance and singing. It wasn’t until I was 11-turning-12 that I started playing basketball. I loved the sisterhood. I went to a park this one time, and there was this girl there [who] was super tall. My biggest concern was – where do you get your clothes? She said, “You need to play basketball!” I started in middle school. That was empowerment – somebody saw me and saw the potential

I started in my junior year of college. I went to Guinea my first time as a first-generation Guinean, and I was transformed. I had this conversation with a girl there, and she said – “I am better than you, but I need the support and opportunities to do what I want to do. I need the resources and proper equipment to do so.” That really stuck with me.

[This program] wasn’t rooted in Guinea. It was rooted in friendship and in sport. I went to India for a month, I went to France and did camps, and from there it was about really getting a basis of our camp structure, understanding how to run effective camps. We’ve now done two basketball camps in New York, and we’ve stayed rooted in Guinea. We’ve built our second [basketball] court, after school programs for them, and scholarships outside of our initial camp structure. Alhamdulillah, it's growing.

Today she is training, she’s awesome, and she’s had an amazing career. We’re working on getting her opportunities to play the game at a high level, maybe abroad.

The most challenging part, even in my spiritual journey, is you against you You against your desires, your self confidence, your self worth. When my teammates would ask me things like that [about if I get hot or do I find it hard to be covered], I would say there are two perspectives [to how you may want to answer]: If you have the emotional capacity to respond, then do that. This may be a moment for me to answer their questions and for them to learn something. This may be the only moment when they ask this question, and they may be joking, but this is an educational moment. I don’t get mad about it. It’s a teaching opportunity.

And if I don’t have [the emotional capacity in that moment or space to respond] then don’t. My actions, how I play, that can be my response.

Sometimes we go to games, and [my teammates] are like, “I’m cold!” And I’m like, that must be tough!

I’ve always been a fan. I think Haute Hijab has been able to really maximize on being a luxury brand that also understands its community. Oftentimes you don’t get that unique mix, and [with HH] you get that from the stories that you share, the materials that you use and the weekly newsletter. So, when the opportunity came to work with HH, I was like yes! It was a good alignment – sharing stories and being authentically you!

[What HH is doing], it doesn’t feel played out – it feels authentic. When the opportunity opened up, I knew that this brand aligns with exactly what I like. And then I heard Bilquis (Abdul-Qaadir) was also [an HH Sport Brand Ambassador]. I was like, hello – that’s my sister!

There are products with no stories. It’s just tough. It has to be a two-way street. Women need to be supported with the right equipment, but we miss the lived realities. There are real women with real stories, and this is a real struggle. [Too often a brand] will share one story and think that represents everyone, but that’s not everyone’s story.

I think it’s coming from real Muslim women, and I feel like I’m being asked – hey what do you think about this? It’s super thoughtful. I feel like Haute Hijab continues to place importance on [Muslim women] and share more stories. Also, the materials are huge – sustainability [part of it].

It is a challenge, but by this point, I do have a routine [for how I protect my hair and care for it]. But I’m always looking to improve it with my hair structure.

Three things – first themselves. They don’t think they’re supposed to be in that space. Second is equipment. What do I have? How do I look in this [meaning your hijab and clothes]? Third is information. How do I find my routine? What should I do? For some, it’s that they need professionals [to help them develop an exercise routine]. We’re also at a point where we have information overload. So finding what works for you is so important. What should you do for your body? How do you do it for you? It is a journey.

I think about this all the time. I think about the equipment. I think about the outline – what workout can you do? Being able to do that consistently in our community is important. The sisterhood aspect is huge, [especially] a judgment- free zone. Being out there and wanting to improve is great, but being out there with sisters and being consistent is huge. It’s so important to find and maintain your support system.

I also always think about infrastructure – places, spaces. I’d love to see more all-women gyms [with all-women staff] – that would be awesome.

I have a three-step process that I want to share:

1. What’s a perfect scenario for all this to happen? What has to happen for everything to go exactly as planned? Envision that. Then you can work towards a version of that.

2. What’s the next step that you can take? Who can you call? How can you make this real? [Call someone] who’s not a pessimist, who can entertain you.

3. What’s the next actionable step I can take? Do I order my HH sport hijab? Yeah you should! Do I get work out gear? Do I sign up for a class?

You have everything that you need to win. Alhamdullilah you’re Muslim! In order to see how large and how magnificent Allah (S) is, you have to test the waters Go big! Fortune favors the bold!