Whitewater junior has been coveted since freshman year
By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
There may not be a more imposing presence in Wisconsin high school girls basketball than Whitewater High’s Myriama Smith-Traore.
Just ask the rest of the state.
The 6’2 junior forward, who was named the Southern Lakes Newspapers area player of the year, was also named to the Associated Press all-state first team.
After helping lead her team to an undefeated state championship season as a sophomore, Smith-Traore averaged 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks this season for the Whippets, who finished with a 22-2 record.
Smith-Traore, who was an honorable mention all-state player last season, has helped the Whippets post a jaw-dropping 71-6 combined record and notch the school’s first-ever state championship during the past three seasons.
“It’s been amazing to be on such a successful team and play in such a supportive community,” Smith-Traore said. “I’ve become more aware of how special it is as my high school years have progressed.”
The school and community are also aware of Smith-Traore’s talent.
“Myriama is one of the premier players in the State of Wisconsin,” Whitewater girls basketball coach Judy Harms said. “We take great pride in her being a Whippet, and we feel very fortunate to have her serve as an exemplary role model to the Whitewater youth.”
Originally from Champaign, Illinois, Smith-Traore moved to Whitewater as a young child with her parents, who are both instructors at UW-Whitewater.
As her childhood progressed, Smith-Traore formed a strong bond with basketball and eventually started playing AAU ball in the sixth grade. From there, Smith-Traore quickly gained success at basketball and became an elite talent.
“Being tall sort of got me into basketball and I quickly fell in love with the sport,” Smith-Traore said. “I’ve worked hard at getting better with basketball.”
Smith-Traore’s hard work has certainly paid off.
Not only has she played on successful high school and AAU teams, she also has received attention from numerous college coaches and scouts.
“At first it was nerve-racking to play in front of scouts,” said Smith-Traore, who started receiving letters from colleges her freshman year. “But over time I’ve been able to ignore it and focus on playing basketball.”
Although she has taken visits, Smith-Traore has yet to make a decision on college. Instead, she is focused on avenging a humbling 71-59 loss to Madison Edgewood in a WIAA Division 3 regional final game last month.
“It’s still tough to think about that loss after having a 22-1 record going into that game,” Smith-Traore said. “I’m used to being able to just turn it on when we need or relying on coach Harms to help us get it going, and I felt like in that game against Edgewood we turned it on way too late. It was a learning experience for us to realize we can’t just turn it on when we want to. We have to play a complete game.”
Smith-Traore, along with junior Rebekah Schumacher, will now have the wisdom gained from the playoff loss to pass onto the team next winter. The juniors were key contributors on the championship team last year, and became the team leaders this season.
“My absolute favorite thing about Myriama, besides being very talented and a true life-long learner, is how she celebrates the success of others as much as her own,” Harms said. “Deep down Myriama wants our team to succeed for us, and both her and Schumacher have shown great leadership in making our mission about the team. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
The duo will once again be expected to be leaders next season on what is expected to be another very tough Whitewater team.
“I’m so excited for next year,” Smith-Traore said. “We have a lot of young players returning, so we should be tough. This offseason I’m working on my outside shout and want to focus on getting stronger and faster being more confident.”
Smith-Traore has taken official visits to Marquette, Wisconsin, St. Louis and Kent State, all Division 1 basketball programs. She is undecided.
A more confident, and well-rounded game can only mean another season of glory for the Whippets, and another season of frustration for their opponents.
