Europe Athletes of the Week: Jan. 26, 2012
Jun Jun Gallardo
Naples basketball
Last week - Gallardo, a 5-foot-8 senior All-Europe point guard, was, in the words of coach Craig Lord, “unstoppable” in the Wildcats’ 82-52 and 54-41 road sweep at Vicenza on Friday and Saturday.
Gallardo, according to Lord, averages eight points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists per game, but in Vicenza, as usual, effort and desire were the categories in which he really excelled.
“This last weekend against Vicenza,” Lord emailed, “Jun Jun proved his tenacity by leading his team to victory by pushing himself to the limit.”
The victories against previously unbeaten Vicenza kept Naples in the thick of the regional race with a 7-1 mark, tied for first with archrival Aviano.
Gallardo, an honor student, adds to his game by shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line, Lord reported about his senior, whose work ethic has contributed mightily to his status as a three-year Naples starter.
“One characteristic that sets Jun Jun apart is his motivation and desire to play,” Lord concluded. “Every game, every practice, Jun Jun looks for opportunities to improve himself and his team.”
Sara Sawyer
AFNORTH basketball
Last week - Sawyer, a 5-foot-11 senior power forward-post player, took care of the paint better than the conservators at the Louvre over the weekend by grabbing a total of 23 rebounds and blocking 19 shots in the Lady Lions’ 35-26 and 30-11 road victories Friday and Saturday at Bitburg.
“She wasn’t our main scorer and usually never is,” AFNORTH coach D.C. McDonald emailed Monday after his team improved to 8-1 overall in the non-regional match-ups between schools ticketed for next month’s European Division II tournament at Wiesbaden. “It’s her defensive dominance that makes her an invaluable asset to our basketball family.”
Sawyer, who’s averaging 9.5 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals per game, was such an annoyance inside over the weekend that Bitburg coach Michael Cottrell urged his players to go right at their adversary in an effort to slow her with foul trouble.
According to McDonald, however, Sawyer’s athleticism – she’s a track and volleyball standout, too – and some favorable dimensions put paid to that idea.
“Sara has great timing and very long arms,” McDonald wrote. “This is what allows her to block so many shots without fouling.”
