Siblings that are athletic tend to succeed together - Peyton and Eli Manning, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Reggie and Cheryl Miller - part of it you can attribute to genetics, but the youthful sibling rivalries probably cant hurt in making sure that everyone is on top of their game.
Rutgers freshman Brittany Ray and her brother Allan, who played his college ball at Villanova and is now with the NBA's Boston Celtics, have both seen their share of success on the Big East hardwood but it was a little bit different when the two were growing up and playing one-on-one with each other.
"He always took it hard on me so, he'd never let me score," Brittany said.
"When we usually play, one-on-one I never let her score. I don't think she's ever scored on me one-on-one, I like to make it tough on her," Allan said. "That day she scores on me - hopefully it'll be a long time from now."
The younger Ray thinks that over the past few years she's improved enough to be able to knock down a shot on her older brother, but she understands why he always went so hard on her.
"Well, I think now I could probably score now. I'm getting older," Brittany said. "He always challenged me growing up, so I think it was for the best that he didn't let me score."
For the Celtics, Allan Ray is averaging five points and just over 12 minutes per game in 33 appearances broken up by a short stint in the NBDL, where he scored 25 points in his second game for the Austin Toros.
"Right now I'm learning a lot, making the best of my opportunities," Allan said.
For the younger Ray, her brother's advice has been simple but helpful especially given Allan's experience.
"Basically my brother has just always told me to work hard - do the things that you do, shoot, work hard in every aspect of the game. I try to take that to heart."
Ray's hard work and determination got her through a rough spell shooting-wise, but she never got down on herself thanks to the confidence her teammate and coach showed in her.
"I'm just telling her to hang in there, it's her freshman year, do a lot of learning that's most important," Allan said. "And make sure you have fun. Always play hard, always give 100 percent."
The development of the freshman class has been integral in Rutgers' growth as a team and success in the post-season and Ray attributes a lot of that to her more experienced teammates.
"We're always learning so, it's on their part - they helped us grow," Ray said. "Every day, the competition in practice they've helped us grow to where we're at now, going to the Sweet Sixteen. I just grateful to have upperclassmen like that."
On the year, Brittany Ray is averaging 5.8 points in just over 20 minutes per game - including six starts and leads the team in three-pointers made, with 41 including three in Tuesday night's win over Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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