Mars brothers leading charge for Planets
ADAMS TWP — This past offseason offered no shortage of excuses to stay out of gyms and off of basketball courts.
None of them convinced Mihali and Tasso Sfanos.
The brothers, a senior and sophomore guard at Mars, respectively, were determined to put in the time to refine their skills. Opponents of the Planets are feeling the effects of that commitment.
Entering Saturday's home game against South Allegheny, Mihali is averaging a team-leading 17.1 points per game while Tasso is at 13.9. They've combined to drain 43 percent (32 of 75) of their 3-point attempts.
Those efforts have helped Mars to a 6-1 start to the season.
“They're both gym rats, are always finding the time to get work in,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody.
Even during the three-week layoff from December to January at the start of this season, Mihali and Tasso were regularly seen playing basketball despite the suspension of team activities.
“We made it a point to not take that time off,” said Mihali. “We wanted to make sure we were ready when the season picked up again.”
Both brothers played for PK Flash, an AAU team, last summer. Mihali had already elevated his game, improving from a 3-point shooter off the bench his sophomore year to a starter last season when he averaged 14.2 points and was named to first team in Section 3-5A.
“Now he's a player who can score at all three levels,” Carmody said. “He has great quickness and can find spaces to get to the rim. He has a good mid-range shot and can obviously still hit the 3-pointer. He's an all-around player.”
“Getting to the hoop is one of the things I focused on heavily,” said Mihali, who has verbally committed to play at Point Park University. “I knew I had to be able to drive and I'm now just as confident doing that as I am shooting from the outside.”
Aside from his scoring contributions, Mihali is pulling down over three rebounds and dishing out over two assists per game, along with a pair of steals, on average.His brother is already making his presence felt all over the court.“Tasso is doing a little of everything for us,” Carmody said. “He leads us in charges taken (four), assists (3.4) and has even led us in rebounds in a few games.“He began last year at (5-foot-6, 130 pounds), but got stronger as the season went on.”Tasso's first career start came in the first round of the state playoffs last March. He scored 14 points in a loss to Elizabethtown.“Being able to contribute like that, as a freshman, it meant a lot to me,” said Tasso, who is now entrenched in the starting lineup. “It gave me confidence, knowing I'd be coming back as a sophomore with experience.”Tasso wants to follow in his brother's footsteps and play college basketball.“He's always someone I've looked up to,” Tasso said. “He's been a role model for me, on and off the court.”The respect is mutual.“It's hard to step up in the position he's in, being a sophomore. And he's got even more improving to do,” Mihali said. “I'm proud of him.”
