Former Elizabeth City State basketball standout Celeste Trahan has signed with the Saarlouis Royals of the German DBBL Women's Basketball League. The Royals play in a Division-1 league that can send teams to compete in the EuroCup.

Trahan was a three-time All-American, two-time Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year and capped her ECSU career with the 2008 Daktronics NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Year award. She finished her career as the only women in Division II history with more than 2,000 points and 1,500 rebounds, finishing with 2,151 points and 1,542 rebounds.

Trahan was scouted WNBA coaches and appeared on a league watch list as a prospective draftee, but her senior season was cut short by a torn ACL.

"She is going to be a tough kid to replace," ECSU coach Antionette Carr said. "It's unfortunate she tore her ACL because I really thought she had an opportunity to fulfill her dream in the WNBA. I think she is taking this avenue to give herself time to get her knee together and play basketball. Hopefully, next summer she will be playing in the WNBA."

The Royals have been a league power in recent years, reaching the DBBL semifinals and finishing runner up in each of the past two seasons.

The Royals begin the 2008-09 campaign on Aug. 27.

"It's really going to be a great recruiting tool for us to say we have a player playing overseas," Carr said.

Trahan joins fellow ECSU basketball player C.J. Pigford in the German leagues. Pigford, who helped guide the Vikings to the 2007 CIAA men's championship, played in Austria last year. He was transferred to the Lich 46ers of the German Bundesliga for this upcoming season.