Even though High School South sophomores Alyssa and Alyssen Rivers can almost read each other’s minds on the basketball court, they say the fabled “twin telepathy” is a myth.
Years of playing together, Alyssen said, allows the two to “feed off” each other during games.
“I think because we grew up always doing the same camps, the same teams and everything, we kind of have the same game almost,” Alyssa said. “We’re kind of doing the same thing, but it’s a little different. It’s like we’re the same person.”
The two started playing basketball in third grade — though it was not their only athletic venture at the time. They did soccer, track, gymnastics, cheerleading, tennis, and softball. Anything their older brother Bryan — the former South standout currently taking a postgrad year at Peddie — played, they wanted a part of. Their parents, Dudley and Linda, who work for Johnson & Johnson and Watson Pharmaceutical, respectively, also encouraged them to try as many sports as they wanted.
“We picked all of them when we were younger and narrowed it down as we got older,” Alyssen said.
Alyssa said watching Bryan play inspired her to take the game more seriously.
“When we started getting into it, I liked the fact that it was a team sport and you’re playing for someone else, not just yourself,” she said. “It seemed so much fun when I was younger to go out and run around the court.”
Alyssen agreed.
“It was like, go out, run, have fun,” she said. “Some of the other sports we played were gymnastics and cheerleading, so it was a different type of sport. It was fun, but as you get older, you get serious.”
Alyssen has settled in as a point guard while Alyssa has assumed more of a forward’s role, but head coach Mika Ryan said that has changed depending on the opponent.
“We’ve asked both of them to play every position on the court because of their mental and their physical abilities,” she said. “That’s been hard for them, and I think I’ve given them great latitude as a coach to make mistakes and ask questions because we’re asking more of them than anybody else on the team.”
Ryan said Alyssen’s defensive play and ball handling skills are top-notch and were especially prominent during South’s recent win over North.
Alyssa, on the other hand, has a knack for getting open, creating space and setting screens, as well as carrying solid defensive skills. “They do a lot for us, and we ask a lot,” Ryan said. “We expect a lot. They’ve always got smiles on their faces. They’re so happy. They’re competitors. As a coach, they’re wonderful players to be around.”
The girls, in their second years with the team, still have a lot of time left. Their goals are simple: to improve beyond the point where they feel like it’s not possible to improve anymore and to continue to build chemistry with the younger players once this year’s seniors are gone.
“I just hope we can get to the MCT finals and stuff like that,” Alyssa said. “That would be amazing for our team especially because we’re losing so many people. With the team that we’ll have next year, I think we can definitely build up that chemistry.”
Ryan said she has her own hopes for the twins.
“I don’t want Alyssen to leave this program as just a point guard,” she said. “I don’t want Alyssa to leave this program as just a forward or a shooter. I want them to be complete players: ball handlers, shooters, rebounders, defenders. If they go to the next level, they can fit into any program because they have the skills and the knowledge of the game to do that. They’re pretty terrific.”
Boys’ Basketball
North edged out South 51-49 on Tuesday, January 28. Juwan Harrison led the Knights with 18 points, while Kevin Murphy and Christian Waters each picked up 10. Nigel Jordan scored 8 points. Tommy Hussong dropped 14 for the Pirates. Kareem Elhossieni scored 11, and Danny Borup scored 10.
North senior Harrison has been known to come up big for the Knight basketball squad, and he did it again against South. With just 1.6 seconds left in the game, Harrison hit a three-pointer to rescue the game for North. Harrison currently has 288 points on the season and 904 for his career, putting him within reach of the 1,000 point milestone with five games left in the regular season.
North (5-10). A 60-50 loss to Lawrence on Thursday, January 23. Harrison, 16. Nigel Jordan, 13. Waters, 10.
A 67-42 loss to Nottingham on Friday, January 24. Harrison, 10. Murhpy, 8. Malik Thompson, 7.
A 65-59 loss to Northern Burlington on Monday, January 27. Harrison, 17. Waters, 15. Jordan, 11.
South (10-5). A 52-23 win over Hightstown on Thursday, January 23. Hussong, 11. Brian Meersma, Borup, Elhossieni, 8. C.J. Howell, 6.
A 65-42 win over Robbinsville on Saturday, January 25. Hussong, 21. Howell, 12. Elhossieni, Kline, 11.
Girls’ Basketball
South defeated North 40-34 on Tuesday, January 28. Melinda Altamore led the Pirates with 11 points. Sam McCormick scored 8, while Alyssa Rivers had 6. Jasmin Watson scored a game-high 18 for North. Chrissy DiCindio had 8.
North (12-5). A 48-30 win over Lawrence on Thursday, January 23. Watson, 16. Tyler Cruz, 8. Lauren Schwartzman, Julia Tampellini, 6.
A 63-34 win over Nottingham on Friday, January 24. Schwartzman, Watson, 11. Tyler Cruz, 9. Victoria L’Insalata, 7.
A 46-20 win over Pennington on Thursday, January 30. Watson, 15. Cruz, Schwartzman, Morgan Magid, 7. DiCindio, 5.
A 53-28 win over Steinert on Friday, January 31. Watson, 13. Cruz, Tampellini, 10. Schwartzman, 9.
South (10-6). A 55-48 win over Hightstown on Thursday, January 23. Alyssa Rivers, 17. Karoline Sandvig, 9. Alyssen Rivers, 8.
A 44-36 win over Robbinsville on Saturday, January 25. Alyssa Rivers, Rachel Goldfinger, 9. Altamore, 8. Alyssen Rivers, 7.
A 45-39 loss to Eastern on Saturday, February 1. Alyssa Rivers, 10. Alyssen Rivers, 9. Altamore, 8.
