Orlando Comets

(KB - 03/30/06)   Comets Fusion guard Andrea Smith, her sister Andrell and Comets Red forward Jordan Coleman are the best of friends.

But it wasn't always that way.

We first met Andrea as a twelve year old competing for the Tampa Spirit against the defending AAU state champion FBVA Orlando Miracle 12U.     Jordan came off the floor during a timeout and said:    "I don't like #11.    She said something about my mama."

To which we replied:   "Well, say something back!!   How'd you get to be so....so......suburban!!!"

Twelve and under AAU competition was a big thing back then.

Later, after several such confrontations we had occasion to meet Andrea in person.     She was the most polite, "yes sir, no sir", teen-ager we'd ever met.     This was the child who questioned
my wife's virtue?

Well, yes and no.

Andrea talks a good game on the court.
She can back it up, too.   She is an in-your-
face defender who will take advantage
of any weakness to strip the ball away.
If you are prone to verbal distractions,
you can expect a full Dave Chappelle
monologue from Andrea.

Offensively, Andrea plays like a boy.
She has perfect form and arc on her
jumper.    And if a defender falls for the
first pump fake, she has a quick first
step and can find her way into the
paint with the barest shred of
daylight.

Andrea's strength is a wide open
rollicking, run-and-gun game.   In
open court she can use her speed,
court vision and strength to
overpower weaker players with her
total game.   She led her high school,
Lake Gibson, to the verge of the
state Final Four and led Polk
County in scoring with 22 ppg.

Andrea had a 43 point
outburst against Tampa
Freedom in a regional
semifinal.

Andrea's biggest weakness is that she
has been watching too many AND-1
videos and sometimes tries to be too flashy.
But when she sticks to her fundamentals she is a very,
very good player.   She is ranked in Florida as one of the top
three shooting guards in the class of 2008.

Andrea has been a varsity starter since the seventh grade and an
All-Polk County selection as well.    She earns her propers.

(KB - 03/29/06) As coach Harry Montalvo's daughter, Leo Montalvo has always been a lightning rod for controversy.

"He plays her too much." "She shoots too much!!" "My kid can't get in the game because she's always hogging the ball!!!" "She flops!!!"

SG has heard it all.

Most of those criticisms are unwarranted. Leo is the best point guard in the class of 2010. She has a fearless combination of grit and moxie that even her most ardent critics have to grudgingly acknowledge. At 5'3", Leo looms large amidst the taller trees and often comes away the victor. Her fierce drives to the basket demonstrate an uncanny recognition of proper spacing and game flow for someone her age. And she has a "get-right-outta-town!!" jumper, too.

We first noticed Leo as an eight year old playing point guard for the Winning Ways Lady Wildcats 11U. She was the best player on the team despite the age disparity.

We saw her again playing for the Dynasty 10U alongside Class of 2009 phenom Bianca Lutley. That team finished seventh in the nation. At the time, it was the highest finish ever for a Florida team at AAU Nationals.

What immediately drew one's attention was, every time there was a scrum, a pile up or a loose ball, Leo would be at the bottom of it. She caused more havoc in less time than Stevie Wonder driving a cab in Manhattan. Sometimes the Dynasty gained possession, sometimes not. But Leo wasn't giving any shrift.

Last year we saw Leo as a seventh grader scrimmaging against seasoned high school players. Leo was the one doing the schooling.

Leo opened her eighth grade year as the starting point guard for Trinity Prep. Not only did she lead the team in scoring and assists, she also was selected as the youngest member of the All-Orange County team. She and fellow Comet Samantha Shields led Trinity Prep to the verge of a berth in the Final Four, losing in the regional finals to Gainesville P.K. Yonge.

Always perceived as diminutive, Leo has grown four inches in the past year and may be hitting her stride.

Leo is one of a number of Dynasty players that joined the Comets organization in 2006 as the Comets Red 14U. An imposing choice of a team name, rich in tradition.

This is one little Comet that bears watching.

(KB - 03/27/06) Comets Red forward Sthefany Thomas has been invited to play for the 2006 Argentinean National Team. Sthefany, who holds dual U.S. and Argentinean citizenship, will travel to Argentina for tryouts in late June and return to the United States ten days later for world class competition against other national players in Colorado Springs. Depending on the results of that competition, Sthefany may compete at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Sthefany originally piqued the interest of Argentinean basketball scouts during a family visit to Argentina two years ago. She was too young at age 14 to be considered, but the scouts kept her in mind and floated an invitation to the (now) 16 year old this year. Sthefany happily accepted.

The time away from her AAU team will only cause Sthefany to miss the Comets commitment to the Augusta Roundball Classic the weekend of June 23-25. Comets fans that wondered whether Sthefany would miss AAU Nationals can put their minds at ease. Sthefany will compete for the home team, too..

Sthefany first came to the Comets in 2004 by way of the Orlando Lightning. Before then, she played for the Clearwater Heatwave, who were the Comets' primary age group rivals in Florida. The Lightning and Heatwave merged and attended 2003 AAU Nationals together; Sthefany was right there.

After the 2003 AAU season the Lightning/Heatwave merger disintegrated and several Lightning players joined the Comets. Sthefany was the only Heatwave player to join the Comets. Sthefany travels 160 miles, roundtrip, twice a week, to practice with the Comets Red team.

Since then Sthefany has blossomed. She worked her way into the starting lineup with her work ethic, dazzling post moves and consistent play. Sthefany is the second leading scorer on the team and the primary option when the Comets Red have to go to their midrange game. She has a quick release on her jumper, but prefers to leap inside in order to score.

Defensively, Sthefany is as mean as they come. Don't let that sweet smile fool you; Sthefany doesn't back down from anyone. Sthefany's motto is: "You can come inside if you want to. You can stay. Your shot's gotta go the other way."

Sthefany attends Wesley Chapel High School in Clearwater. She averaged 25.3 ppg, 9 rpg and 5 spg during the 2005-2006 high school season and was voted Pasco County Player of the Year.