Whippets 6-foot-2, rebounding machine commits to Marquette
By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
She’s not your ordinary athlete, nor is she is your ordinary person. Whitewater High School’s Myriama Smith-Traore embodies what any program wants to resemble.
Whether it comes from her teammates, her current head coach, or the basketball coach in Delavan-Darien speaking highly of her and her entire family off the record, it seems anybody who talks about Smith-Traore love not just who she is on the court, but who she is off of it as well.
On Aug. 30, Smith-Traore announced she would be attending Marquette University. The Golden Eagles aren’t just getting a 6-foot-2 rebounding machine. They’re getting a well-rounded person.
“I’m grateful and humble to have the opportunity to coach Myriama,” Whippets girls basketball coach Judy Harms said. “It’s been an amazing experience being able to watch her transition from an elementary student to a remarkable young student-athlete. Marquette is an awesome fit, and I’m extremely excited that she is staying in Wisconsin.
“Academics is a high priority and being able to combine that with a quality basketball program, and right in our own backyard, it’s just a great decision. Myriama has become an amazing role model for our youth, along with developing strong community ties,” Harms said.
“Basketball-wise, her confidence grows with each season along with her skills. It’s evident she loves the game and that passion leads her to tremendous improvements constantly. She’s a true lifelong learner, which is a tribute to her parents instilling a solid foundation,” Harms added.
Last season, Smith-Traore averaged over 17 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, three steals and two assists per game. She stuffs the stat-sheet. That’s apparent.
With her level of play came dozens of offers. Many Division I teams sought after the now Whippets senior, but it came down to Saint Louis University, Nebraska and Marquette. Smith-Traore’s first offer came when she is in middle school.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Smith-Traore said. “To have that opportunity is just a blessing and I think that [the entire recruiting process] was overwhelming at times, especially when I started to narrow things down because I built such strong relationships with coaches. That part was difficult, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I got to see some amazing schools and experience all different types of college atmospheres. It’s been incredible.”
The senior’s dominance on the court led to the Whippets winning a state title two seasons ago. Last year, the team got upset in the WIAA Regional round.
The Golden Eagles, Smith-Traore’s future team, have had a history of getting to the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis. This past season however, could have been looked at as a disappointment, as the team went 9-22 overall in head coach Carolyn Kieger’s first season.
The nine wins didn’t shy Smith-Traore away, and she is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to Marquette’s team, knowing what she will be getting into a year from now.
“Coach Kieger is unlike any coach I have ever worked with,” Smith-Traore said. “I mean, all of the coaches that I’ve had have been phenomenal, but coach Kieger really gets after the players and doesn’t accept anything less than working your hardest. All of my other coaches have been the same way, but she really gets after them.
“At first, it was really intimidating to me. I wasn’t sure if I could play for a coach, who is – she yells, but it’s positive yelling – she’s just really passionate. Then I got to talking to her and it was great to hear her talking about the players and how much potential she sees in them and in me. She completely understands my strengths and weaknesses and told me what I needed to work on. She wasn’t afraid to get me out of my comfort zone even though I wasn’t even her player yet. She treats everyone like family,” Smith-Traore said.
She said though Marquette didn’t have a strong season last year “they did have eight freshmen coming in. They played Seton Hall early in the season and lost by 30 and then they played Seton Hall again at the end of the season and ended up beating them by seven. They were just a completely different team. You could see how all of the freshmen stepped into their roles and how the upperclassmen took the leadership roles pretty seriously. They didn’t have any seniors and had just one junior.”
After speaking highly of her high school coach, Harms, when asked what she wanted Marquette fans to know about her stepping into their program, Smith-Traore talked about how she’s built, from the inside out.
“I am an extremely energetic, passionate person,” she said. “No matter how the game is going, the atmosphere that the fans make just totally makes the game and helps me play harder. It motivates me. I love to feed off of that kind of energy, and that’s what I’m hoping for at Marquette, is to feel that kind of energy and get used to that atmosphere the way that I have at Whitewater High School.”
Her knowledge of not just the game of basketball, but of the teams and players around her is evident. Her passion can’t be duplicated and the way she conducts herself is the way any student-athlete should strive to be. As a sports writer, Smith-Traore is well-spoken and can own an interview as well as any high school, collegiate or professional athlete I’ve ever interacted with.
