Women's Basketball | January 05, 2018
On a basketball court, communication is key.
Sit close enough to a court, and it doesn't matter if you're watching the NBA or a no-stakes game at the local YMCA—successful teams are going to communicate with one another on a level that goes beyond merely talking. Gestures, inflection, tone… play together long enough, at a high enough level, and even something as simple as a glance at one another can speak volumes between two players.
It's fascinating to watch two players who have played together for a long time as they navigate a fast break, seamlessly switch on pick-and-roll defense with little more than a grunt or run a give-and-go like the ball is attached to some invisible string connecting them and only them. It's a bond shared on a basketball court only by those who have played together so long that they no longer even recognize the kismet they share, when it becomes as ingrained as their very DNA.
Why, it's almost like a sibling connection.
Brandi and Brianah Ferby have always been close, and they've always played basketball. From elementary school sessions in the driveway with their father Thymes to middle school championships to leading Stewart's Creek High to its first state championship appearance, Brandi and Bri have been side-by-side through it all.
So when it came time to choose a college, they wanted an opportunity to continue playing together.
"Ever since freshman year (of high school), we both wanted to go to the same college and play together," Brianah said. "Not many schools were willing to do that. Our mom really wanted us to stay together. She really wanted us to go to the same college."
Austin Peay and head coach David Midlick stepped to the forefront. With needs in the backcourt, adding the duo provided depth and two unassuming, albeit perfect, fits for Midlick's at times wacky collection of Govs.
"Everybody on this team is goofy," Brianah said. "That's how I can relate to them."
Having played together for so long, the Ferby's are in perfect harmony when they share the court. Getting the subdued duo to come out of their shell is a tougher trick. By nature, and their own admission, neither is the most vocal, particularly in an unfamiliar setting—Brianah likes to sing… just not in front of anybody. Brandi will crack jokes… but only if she's comfortable with who she's with.
"Coach Midlick gets onto me sometimes for not talking," Brandi said. "It's not that I'm not talking, I'm just so quiet you can't really hear me."
But the duo can connect in a way none of their teammates can quite understand. Call it sibling ESP—that extra little something, hard-wired inside twins, inseparable since birth, that puts them on the same wavelength whenever one has the ball in their hands.
"We play well together on the court," Brandi said. "She can give me a look and I'll know exactly what she wants and where she's going to pass the ball."
Sometimes, all it takes is a look.
