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Pound for pound, Purdue shooting guard Kelly Komara may be the
strongest player in the Big Ten. It was almost pre-ordained. Before
she could climb on her daddy's knee, the Lake Central graduate was
exposed to weightlifting.
In her infancy, she crawled around the basement while her father,
Bob Komara, pumped iron.
"She used to watch me,'' said Bob Komara, who was Lake Central's
head football coach from 1978 to '82 and just finished his seventh
year as an the assistant at the same school.
When Kelly was a bit older, he set up a mock lifting station so
she could play at it, which is how pretending evolved into a
passion.
"It's something I've enjoyed since I was little,'' said Kelly
Komara, who will be starting her 40th consecutive game Wednesday
when the No. 6 Boilermakers play at Valparaiso.
Her athleticism became quite obvious at an early age.
In grade school, Komara qualified twice for the Hershey (Pa.)
National Track and Field Championships. In her fourth-grade age
group, she placed fifth in the 50-meter run.
Two years later, she was a national runner-up in the softball
throw.
Komara became involved in a science project in eighth grade which
measured the value of pliometrics and weightlifting. Eight weeks
later, her vertical jump had improved by 3 inches.
"That's when she really saw the benefits,'' her dad said.
In high school, Komara spent three years in football Coach Elmer
Britton's weight class. There, she set a school record for a
135-pound male or female by squat-lifting 325 pounds.
Her strength gave her a major advantage in high school, where she
was a four-year starter in basketball, an All-State third baseman
and also played soccer.
Before leaving, she was named Indiana's Miss Basketball and was a
second-team All-American her senior year.
Lake Central's Tom Megyesi calls her the strongest player he has
ever coached.
"I don't think anyone comes close,'' he said. "Being a coach, Bob
(Komara) really knew the importance of weightlifting.''
Megyesi credits lifting for speeding up Kelly's recovery from
knee surgery in her sophomore year.
In high school, Komara and Kelly Kuhn, who now starts for Butler,
set the tone for Lake Central, the state runner-up in 1998.
"Anybody could coach them and be successful,'' Megyesi said. "I
can't say enough positive things about the two Kellys."
At Purdue, it's been more of the same for the 5-foot-7 junior
from Schererville. She ranks No. 1 on the team in the bench press
and power clean categories.
Kelly laughingly refers to herself as a brick house.
"It's from a song 'She's a Brick House' my dad and I used to sing
when I was in high school,'' said Komara, who leads the Boilers in
3-pointers (10-of-21) and free throw percentage (.778).
She contributed to the Big Ten defending champions' 7-1 start
with eight consecutive 3-pointers, which tied a school record.
"It's easier to attack off the wing,'' Komara said.
She gives Coach Kristy Curry various options, including sliding
over to the point when freshman Erika Valek gets into foul
trouble.
"Once a point guard, always a point guard,'' Komara said.
During an early tournament at Cancun, Mexico, Komara replaced
Valek, a native of Colombia, who didn't make the trip for security
reasons.
Purdue's depth should serve it well once Big Ten play begins,
Komara said.
"Last year, our starting five played 30 to 35 minutes a game. It
was hard to keep up the intensity.''
Currently, 10 players are averaging double-figure minutes, but
guard Cherrise Graham recently decided to transfer. That still
leaves the Boilers with five talented freshmen.
Purdue fits Komara like a glove. Her only regret is not being
able to play softball. She keeps up with the sport by rooming with
shortstop Katie Crabtree and third baseman Jessica Jones.
Success hasn't changed Komara, who helped the Boilers win a
national title two years ago.
"She's such a celebrity,'' Megyesi said, "but she keeps
everything in perspective.'' | 
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