WHITEHALL — Just by looks alone, one would not be able to tell Brynna and Clay Wolfe are siblings. Clay stands at 6-foot-6 and has dark brown curly hair, while his sister is nearly a foot shorter has hair lighter than the sun. But once you watch them play, you know they share the same blood.
“She’s unselfish,” Whitehall girls basketball coach Kelly Nieskens said. “I tell her to shoot more, but her basketball IQ is very high for a freshman.”
“He’s got good skill for a 6-6 kid,” boys basketball coach Zach McLean said. “He plays inside out, we move him around a lot. But that’s one thing, he’s pretty versatile, special kid to have.”
Both are big contributors on the basketball court for the Trojans. Brynna, a freshman, and Clay, a senior, have been coaching each other since they were kids, and the hard work is paying off.
“We grew up in Boulder, we always went to the gym and my parents worked at the gym, so we’d always work out together and work together,” Brynna explained.
“She’s always helping me with my dribbling and pull-up jumpers over the top of her since I’m a little taller,” Clay joked.
And the biggest benefit to having a basketball-savvy sibling is the competition it has inspired.
“I’m sure at home they have some pretty interesting conversations,” Nieskens said. “They compete and that’s great to see out of kids.”
“It’s nice to be able to have competition and to have to play against someone bigger than me, and him pushing me to be my best,” Brynna said.
Just by talking to the brother-sister duo, one can instantly tell how proud they are of each other.
“I can definitely say he’s working hard and making his game better and it’s helping,” Brynna said.
“She’s a really hard worker, she’s always diving on the floor grabbing loose balls, making hustle plays for her team. She has a great shot, she does anything the coaches ask for. She’s just a great player,” Clay said.
Clay graduates in May and Brynna will have three more years at Whitehall, but no matter the changes, the bond will stay the same.
“[If] Clay is not on the bus, Brynna will ask where Clay is. I think they’re pretty close,” McLean said. “I’d like to say Clay is one of Brynna’s biggest fans, and I think that’s pretty awesome for a big brother seeing his little sister have such a great start to the year.”
“He just tells me good job and it helps, it helps a lot,” Brynna finished.
And no matter what, they will always find themselves back doing what they love the most
“We’ve always had a really strong bond,” Clay said. “We do everything together, and our main thing is going to the gym and shooting hoops.”
