Thomas BrooksBasketball

Taegu American, South Korea

Last week: Averaged 30 points in two games as the Warriors won both Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Division I (large schools) road games, improving to 6-12 overall and 3-4 in league on the season.

Brooks, a sophomore, scored 25 points on Friday to help power the Warriors to a 78-63 win over Seoul International at Seongnam. The next day at Taejon Christian International, Brooks exploded for a season- and career-high 35 points as the Warriors outlasted the Dragons 73-63.

First-year Warriors coach Phillip Loyd calls Brooks an “outstanding student-athlete and a fine representative” of the school.

The team co-captain, Loyd said, is a “phenomenal outside shooter who spent the entire summer working on developing his all-around game. He has accepted the challenge to be the best and is a tireless worker.”

Kristia SuribenBasketball

E.J. King, Japan

Last week: Averaged 13.8 points and 5.3 steals in four games as the Cobras (19-1) continued the best start in school history, winning the title in the Osaka International School tournament.

Suriben, a junior, had 20 points and nine steals in the Cobras’ opening 45-37 win over Canadian Academy, then added 15 points and five steals as E.J. King downed St. Maur International 50-29. In Saturday’s semifinal, Suriben contributed nine points and six steals as the Cobras beat host Osaka 41-23. The Cobras beat Canadian Academy 50-43 in the final behind Suriben’s 11 points and one steal. Suriben also grabbed 16 rebounds in the four games.

“Kristia has such balance when it comes to basketball,” coach Bridget Vertin said. “She dribbles with such finesse and creates passes and passing lanes that I couldn’t imagine. She is a joy to coach and I never get tired of watching her play.”

— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff

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