Orlando Comets

(KB - 03/17/09)  For those of you that are paying attention, the 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball championship tournament brackets have been released.    Former Comets players are representin' like a mofo!!!

We've got Dartmouth (Jacky Nikic), Kansas State(Jalana Childs), Vanderbilt(Jordan Coleman), UCF (Asia Patrick), Texas A&M(Kelsey Assarian) and Duke(Krystal Thomas)--ALL DANCIN'!!!

Additionally, we're tracking Trinity Robinson and Gaati Werema of Prairie View, two GGG players who briefly played in Comets uniforms.   Also, we're rooting for Florida's Tailor Jones and Jennifer Mossor from DEBO.    And, of course we have to mention UConn's Tiffany Hayes.     "Li'l Mama" will probably come out of this tournament with a gold ring.    The Huskies ARE just that damn good.

We were disappointed that Wake Forest didn't make the field of 64.     That would have been two more Comets' players (Brooke Thomas and Brittany Waters) in the field.      Wake Forest's great run in the ACC tournament wasn't enough to compensate for the team's eleven losses.     The bubble has burst for the Demon Deacons.

Still, to have six players who were all in high school two years ago playing at the highest collegiate level is gratifying.     Of the above mentioned Comets players, Asia Patrick is the only starter.     But that doesn't diminish the excitement we feel when we see our girls on ESPN.     For Vandy, every time Jordan checks into a game my phone blows up.     Sheesh, it's not like I'm not right there watching.    It's not like I'm not still mentally cataloging every assist, steal and rebound.    It's not like I'm not still yelling:   "O, WHAT WAS THAT!??!!?!!!" after every turnover or mental mistake.

Duke's 26-5 record earned a #1 seed in the Berkeley Division.    They will open against Austin Peay.   Former Comets center is biding her time behind All-American senior center Chante Black, who is having a dominating season.     Thomas entered this season coming off knee surgery.    Like most Duke players, her junior and senior seasons will provide the exclamation points to her college career.

Big 12 runner-up Texas A&M earned a #2 seed in the Trenton Division.    High praise indeed, but they are grouped with UConn.    Not good news.    The Aggies better bring their A-game if they want a seat in St. Louis.    Freshman forward Kelsey Assarian is doing about as much at A&M as the other Comets underclassmen.    She gets in the game for a few minutes, knocks a few people around, and then defers to the upper classmen.     That's what those upper classmen had to do, too, when they were underclassmen.    The Aggies open against Evansville.

The Vanderbilt Commodores earned a #4 seed largely due to their SEC championship win.    Based on their regular season they'd been projected as a #6 seed.     The Commodores had several disheartening losses to unranked teams during the regular season, but seemed to hit their stride during the SEC tourney.      Vanderbilt outworked and outplayed Georgia, LSU and Auburn over three straight days to earn the SEC championship.      Jordan Coleman had her best game of the season in the semi-final against LSU.     Coleman is playing behind senior All-American Christina Wirth and, like Krystal Thomas, is looking to have a breakout season after Wirth's graduation.

First things first, though.    The Commodores open against Western Carolina on Saturday and, if they win, will probably face Jelana Childs and Kansas State for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.     This matchup would be the first Comet vs Comet matchup at March madness.     The Wildcats would be matching their size and power against Vandy's guile and quickness.       The Wildcats have the advantage of playing a team that does not play well on the road.   Vandy's only advantage that I can see is their coaching acumen.     Melanie Balcomb is a phenomenal precision-based coach.   It's when the excellence-of-execution breaks down that the Commodores have problems.    They are never going to out-muscle anybody.

UCF is a #14 seed in the Oklahoma City Division.   After starting the season 2-12, the Golden Knights found their stride and battled back to win the Conference USA title.    That's just amazing.    I watched the Knights struggle early in the season against FAMU and Wake Forest.     No one could have convinced me back in December that the Knights would be dancin'.      But they are scheduled to play North Carolina in the first round.     That's a tough out.    But we'll be rootin' for 'em!!      Asia Patrick walked into a situation where she didn't have to play behind any All-American seniors.    She has made the most of it.     The lightning fast freshman is the engine that stirs the straw in the drink for UCF.

Finally, Jacky Nikic is leading the Dartmouth Greenwave into the dance.     The Greenwave won the Ivy League crown and earned a #16 seed in the Raleigh Division.    They will face Maryland in the opening round.     Nikic, too, is struggling for playing time.      Jacky had a boating accident last year which has hampered her minutes in the Ivy League.    Having to play the ACC champions in the first game isn't going to be pretty, but you sets them up and you knocks them down (in the immortal words of Popeye the Sailor man).     We'll be rooting for the Greenwave in that game.

The NCAA championship tournament is a by-product of all the work these girls put in during their travel team days with the Comets.       First and foremost, of course, is their educational scholarship.      But having yet another championship up for grabs?     Priceless.