TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – When University of Cincinnati junior forward Trevon Scott first heard that the Bearcats were recruiting his identical twin sisters, Jada and Jadyn, he didn't think much of it.
"I was like, it's nothing," Scott said. "They're not going to come here. So I never really said anything about it."
But Jada and Jadyn proved him wrong. Determined to attend college as a two-for-one package deal, they fell in love with the UC campus and the coaching staff when they made their official visit. Last November they signed national letters-of-intent to attend UC.
Next season – which will be Trevon's senior year in terms of his eligibility – all three will be together on the same campus, with older brother Trevon filling his usual role as protector for his sisters. But he's also determined to keep his distance enough to let them find their own way.
"I'm going to protect them always," Trevon said. "I'm going to show them the ropes, show them a few things their first year. But they're pretty smart. They're smarter than me. They'll be OK."
"I think it'll be amazing," Jadyn said. "We never got the chance to go to high school together, so for us to go to college and be around each other, I'm looking forward to everything. It'll be great."
For UC women's coach Michelle Clark-Heard, who's in her first year with the Bearcats, getting the two 6-foot-1 forwards was a major recruiting coup "because of where we're at as a program and the things they can bring to the table for us."
"How Tre is athletic and can get up and down the floor and rebound and guard in different positions, that's what they are," Clark-Heard said. "We definitely think they can come in and help us right away."
Jada averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last year at Frederica Academy on St. Simons Island in Georgia. Jadyn averaged 11.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. Both received all-state recognition and are ranked among the nation's top 40 wing prospects by ESPN.
Four years ago, when Trevon left Townsend, Ga., for UC, no one could have predicted that the three siblings would go to college together, even for one year. Trevon would have been a senior this year if he hadn't chosen to redshirt as a true freshman at the suggestion of the UC coaching staff, and therefore wouldn't be at UC next year when his sisters arrive.
The decision to redshirt worked out well for Trevon from a basketball standpoint because it helped him develop into a starting forward who averages 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds on UC's 20-4 men's team with another year to play. Academically, he graduated in December with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
But as good as UC has been for Trevon, when it came to his sisters' recruitment, he made it a point to stay out of the way.
Trevon said he told Jada and Jadyn the pros and cons of going to UC when they asked, but "other than that, they made the decision on their own. I didn't want to feel like I was pressuring them to come here."
But regardless of which school Jada and Jadyn had chosen, they're confident they would have maintained their close relationship with their big brother. Being on the same campus will only make it that much easier.
"We're best friends," Jada said. "We argue, but we make up afterwards. We have a real strong relationship. He was real protective. He still is. He told us we made the right decision."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at the Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – When University of Cincinnati junior forward Trevon Scott first heard that the Bearcats were recruiting his identical twin sisters, Jada and Jadyn, he didn't think much of it.
"I was like, it's nothing," Scott said. "They're not going to come here. So I never really said anything about it."
But Jada and Jadyn proved him wrong. Determined to attend college as a two-for-one package deal, they fell in love with the UC campus and the coaching staff when they made their official visit. Last November they signed national letters-of-intent to attend UC.
Next season – which will be Trevon's senior year in terms of his eligibility – all three will be together on the same campus, with older brother Trevon filling his usual role as protector for his sisters. But he's also determined to keep his distance enough to let them find their own way.
"I'm going to protect them always," Trevon said. "I'm going to show them the ropes, show them a few things their first year. But they're pretty smart. They're smarter than me. They'll be OK."
"I think it'll be amazing," Jadyn said. "We never got the chance to go to high school together, so for us to go to college and be around each other, I'm looking forward to everything. It'll be great."
For UC women's coach Michelle Clark-Heard, who's in her first year with the Bearcats, getting the two 6-foot-1 forwards was a major recruiting coup "because of where we're at as a program and the things they can bring to the table for us."
"How Tre is athletic and can get up and down the floor and rebound and guard in different positions, that's what they are," Clark-Heard said. "We definitely think they can come in and help us right away."
Jada averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last year at Frederica Academy on St. Simons Island in Georgia. Jadyn averaged 11.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. Both received all-state recognition and are ranked among the nation's top 40 wing prospects by ESPN.
Four years ago, when Trevon left Townsend, Ga., for UC, no one could have predicted that the three siblings would go to college together, even for one year. Trevon would have been a senior this year if he hadn't chosen to redshirt as a true freshman at the suggestion of the UC coaching staff, and therefore wouldn't be at UC next year when his sisters arrive.
The decision to redshirt worked out well for Trevon from a basketball standpoint because it helped him develop into a starting forward who averages 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds on UC's 20-4 men's team with another year to play. Academically, he graduated in December with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
But as good as UC has been for Trevon, when it came to his sisters' recruitment, he made it a point to stay out of the way.
Trevon said he told Jada and Jadyn the pros and cons of going to UC when they asked, but "other than that, they made the decision on their own. I didn't want to feel like I was pressuring them to come here."
But regardless of which school Jada and Jadyn had chosen, they're confident they would have maintained their close relationship with their big brother. Being on the same campus will only make it that much easier.
"We're best friends," Jada said. "We argue, but we make up afterwards. We have a real strong relationship. He was real protective. He still is. He told us we made the right decision."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at the Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.