ANDERSON — Ravens fans have been doing double takes all season long with the addition of two freshmen to the women’s basketball program: Amy and Ashley Wuestefeld. The identical twins from Batesville, Ind., have been logging a lot of minutes for Anderson University in their rookie seasons.
“It’s been different … college basketball is very demanding, physically and mentally,” said Ashley, who’s been on the court for an average of 12 minutes in the 14 games she’s played.
“There are a lot of little things you didn’t notice in high school; little defensive techniques here and there that you can get away with in high school but not in college,” said Amy, who’s started in 18 of the team’s first 19 games, ranking third on the team in assists and steals.
Both players were in the starting lineup during the team’s scrimmages, but Ashley missed about a month due to mononucleosis.
“That’s been my excuse,” Ashley said with a laugh. “(When I got back) it was hard to get in sync with the rest of the team again. It took me a few weeks to feel like I was at everyone else’s level.”
AU head coach Marcie Taylor said that she’d expected the two guards to play large roles on the team before they played in their first game.
“They were both quality athletes in high school,” said Taylor. “The unknown with new players is how quickly they’ll adjust to the college game.”
Their high school résumés contained a long list of accolades. Both Wuestefelds were named to the All-Conference and All-County teams. Amy earned Team MVP honors and played in the North/South All-Star game, while Ashley was named the County MVP and listed as one of the top 100 Underclassmen.
They weren’t one-dimensional athletes, either. Both were named all-conference softball players, and Ashley was a regional qualifier in track.
But even if their coach was expecting it, neither Wuestefeld said they were anticipating a starting role this season.
”I was hoping for playing time but I never thought I’d start,” said Amy. “I didn’t expect that at all and at the beginning it was very overwhelming. There are a lot of little things you have to do, and while you’re getting used to them, the other teams are more experienced and they’ve already figured those little things out.”
“Amy’s been a consistent starter since the beginning of the season and she’s grown a great deal in her playmaking and understanding of the college,” said Taylor. “Unfortunately for Ashley, the (mononucleosis) came along early, and it really set her back. That part of the season is really important for younger players.”
The Wuestefelds’ success on the court can be attributed to a sibling rivalry that began at birth.
“We were competitive in pretty much everything,” said Amy. “Growing up it was nice to have a twin. We lived out in the country … we didn’t have any neighbors as friends so we were friends with each other.”
And after several years of playing together, the two have developed a nearly psychic connection.
“Because we’ve played together for so long, when I look at her, I can tell what she’s thinking and how the defense is playing her because of the way she looks,” said Amy. “We make a lot of backdoor cuts.”
When the Wuestefelds return home — like they did two weekends ago during a rare weekend off — they’re constantly reminded of what they call, “twin moments.” That’s because their best friends back home are also twins.
“I almost think it’s not normal to be anything but a twin,” said Ashley. “That’s the way it’s always been for me.”
With a solid freshman class that includes the Wuestefelds, forward Courtney Prater (5.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG in 16 starts) and guard Stephanie Geeting (shooting 53.8 percent on 3-pointers in 18 games), it’s likely the Wuestefelds’ next “twin moments” will be in the form of several victories for AU basketball.
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