Ryheam TrahanNaples basketball
Last week - Trahan, a 6-foot-3-inch guard who transferred to Naples from Louisiana for his senior year, brought his shooting touch with him. Trahan ripped the visiting Vicenza Cougars for 31 points in Saturday’s 67-38 victory that kept the Wildcats unbeaten. The outburst came less that 24 hours after Trahan scored 20 points, his season average, in Friday’s 68-47 romp.
But the numbers that matter most to Trahan, Naples coach Craig Lord indicated, is the Wildcats’ 8-0 record. “He expects much from his team,” Lord wrote in a Monday e-mail.
For their part, Trahan’s teammates have come to expect plenty from him, too.
“He’s a strong guard who loves the game,” Lord wrote of his scoring star, who he said is equally comfortable shooting from the perimeter or taking the ball to the rack. “He is quick. He plays hard. He can play any position on the court well.”
And happily, too. “He loves the game of basketball,” Lord concluded, “and is excited to play.”
Cariema WoodKaiserslautern basketball
Last week - Wood, a 5-foot-5-inch senior guard who made All-Europe in 2010 in spite of injury problems, posted her first career triple-double Friday night. Wood, averaging 10.5 points, eight rebounds and seven steals per game, burned visiting Mannheim for 15 points, 14 steals and 10 rebounds — all game highs — to help the Lady Raiders run their season record to 6-0 with a 38-22 victory.
“Cariema has stepped up her game this year both offensively and defensively,” Kaiserslautern coach Corey Smith reported in a Monday e-mail, “and one of the big reasons is that she’s finally physically close to 100 percent. She’s battled some knee injuries the past two years.”
Sullivan went on to break down Wood’s improvement on both ends of the floor.
“Offensively, she has settled in and feels much more comfortable taking charge and finding good shots for herself within the flow of the game. Defensively, her instincts and hard work have led her to getting multiple steals every game.”