695HOOPS WHERE IT'S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS
Kelli Smoot started her career at Western before moving over to Milford Mill. She finished her career in style by helping her team win the class 3A championship in her senior year. Shortly after that she announced that she would be playing college ball at Nyack College in New York. The versatile guard is majoring in Biology and she answered some questions for 695Hoops.com.
695: How did you get started playing ball?
Kelli: I started playing basketball following behind my 3 brothers . I saw how much fun they were having and I wanted to do it too.
695: How old were you when you started?
Kelli: I was probably 2 years old when I first started but I started playing organized basketball at the age of 4 for Edreco Girls Basketball.
695: Where did you grow up?
Kelli: I grew up in Baltimore County near the Windsor Mill area.
695: Have you played any other sports?
Kelli: Yes, I've played softball and was a cheerleader, as well as danced.
695: Which AAU teams have you played for?
KelIi: I started off with the Maryland Sureshots. I played for the Lady Tigers, the Maryland Comets, and ended my AAU career playing for the Shooting Stars.
695: Who is your favorite player?
Kelli: My favorite player is Kristi Toliver. I've been following her games since she played for Maryland.
695: What do you need to add to your game for the next level?
Kelli: I need to add perfection to my ball handling skills as well as increasing my stamina to the college level.
695: What other hobbies do you have besides basketball?
Kelli: I really don't have a hobby, but in my spare time I play Candy Crush.
695: Talk about the recruiting process and how you chose Nyack...
Kelli: Well the process was really long. there were a lot of visits and I met a lot of nice coaches. But nothing really felt quite like home until I visited Nyack. It was a very family-oriented environment.
695: What are you going to major in?
Kelli: I am going to major in Biology and soon become an orthopedic surgeon.
695: What artists do you listen to before a game?
Kelli: know this may sound weird, but I listen to Beyoncé before every game. I actually get joked by my teammates about that.
695: Talk about the run you made with your Milford Mill teammates to the 3A championship and how you celebrated...
Kelli: Our 26-1 season was very long and memorable. The goal since fall ball league was to get to Towson 3 times (County, Semi-Finals, and States.) Once we beat Holy Cross, we then began to really realize that we had a high chance of winning the State Championship. When we lost our only game, that made us want to come back stronger and harder and we then went on a 15 game winning streak which led us to win our second state championship in 9 years. To this day, I am still celebrating. I'll probably stop celebrating once the ring is on my finger.
695: Thank you for your time and good luck at Nyack.
Kelli: Thank you.
Copyright 2010 695Hoops. All rights reserved.