SE: Glenn Sisters Bring Twinning Ways to Manhattan
Nov 09, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Since they were in the eighth grade, Jaelyn and Brylee Glenn had an idea about their college plans. That's when Kansas State began recruiting the twin sisters out of Kansas City, Missouri. Each year, the K-State women's basketball coaches invited them to a football or basketball game. They always checked on the sisters. As their prep careers continued, they already felt like they had a home waiting for them in Manhattan.
"A huge amount of support from the coaching staff," Brylee says. "Ever since we were in the eighth grade."
"Definitely," Jaelyn adds, "K-State coaches played a huge part in our decision."
Today, Jaelyn and Brylee sit next to each other on a black leather couch in the second floor lobby of the Ice Family Basketball Center. They wear matching black K-State practice jerseys above purple t-shirts. Jaelyn's jersey reads "3" and Brylee's reads "5."
They don't answer each other's questions, and, no, they can't look at each other and think of the same food. Heck, Jaelyn aspires to get into baking and Brylee could care less about honing her culinary skills. But since they were in kindergarten, they've been in lock step on the basketball court. They're both 6-foot-1 and full of energy. They demonstrated as much at times during the K-State's two exhibition wins at Bramlage Coliseum.
They know where each other is on the court.
"This is my person," Brylee says. "This is the person I've always played basketball with. We work well together. I couldn't see myself playing basketball without her."
Jaelyn finished her senior season at The Barstow School averaging 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and nearly two blocks en route to becoming a 2021 McDonald's All-American Game nominee. Jaelyn was the nation's 54th ranked player by ESPNW Hoopgurlz. Brylee averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals and was the 75th ranked player by ProspectsNation.com. She set the school record with more than 1,000 career points and was the first player in school history to score at least 40 points in three different games.
"We went to a camp at Nebraska, and I performed extremely well when I was there, so I knew Nebraska had a lot of interest in us, but I couldn't envision going anywhere but here," Brylee says. "I saw ourselves making an impact here and that's what we're hoping to do."
From playing together on Little Ballers for Raymore-Peculiar, and then onto ABA Supreme, to Future, to Missouri Phenom Pheesa, and to Lady Run GMC, the Glenn's lived in the gym for eight years under the tutelage of AAU head coach Rodney Gilyard, who they call one of the most impactful people in their lives. Their team went 25-2 during the summer of 2018 and won the Prague 17-and-under division of the 2018 Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago.
"We started playing in third grade under Rodney, our first and only AAU basketball coach," Jaelyn says. "Obviously, being new to basketball, we weren't very good, but he always stuck with us. He never gave up on us. He pushed us to do better. We were with him all the way until K-State — eight years of just making us better people on and off the court, and not giving up on us when we weren't performing well. He saw potential in us."
Perhaps the most arresting moment of the Glenn's journey came during the fifth game of their junior season in December 2019. That's when Brylee went down with a torn ACL. They always knew that they would play basketball at the same college. So, the injury appeared to be a setback for both sisters. Yet from the injury arrived a steady dose of determination from within Brylee and boundless compassion from Jaelyn, and the K-State coaches, which accelerated her comeback.
"I was like, 'Am I ever going to play the same again? Am I constantly going to worry about retearing it?' I thought about stuff like that," Brylee says. "But when I was on crutches, I took the opportunity to focus on my weaknesses. I'd be standing in the gym working on my ballhandling. I took it as a learning experience to improve. When I returned to the court, it felt like no time had left. I just played my game.
"The K-State coaches never doubted that I'd come back better than I was before, so that played a huge part, the confidence they had in me."
K-State head coach Jeff Mittie maintains that confidence as both freshmen could evolve into contributors this season.
"Brylee's aggressiveness and toughness stood out in watching her," Mittie says. "She has tons of energy. She's a glue-type player who makes everyone around her better. She plays with no fear. It's kind of rare for a freshman to come in here and not overthink things and not be overwhelmed, but that's continued on. She's exactly what we saw in AAU and high school basketball.
"Jaelyn is a very quiet, very smart and skilled basketball player. Every practice she comes in ready to go. She has a really good effort level. She's a good 3-point shooter and capable of playing four positions on the floor. She's a versatile player and a good defender. She uses her length and takes good angles on defense."
However, both sisters continue to adjust to the Division I level.
"The speed of the game is different, and we don't have our parents here, or our dad saying, 'You need to work on this, this and this,'" Jaelyn says. "We have to do that on our own. The court is definitely bigger, and the game is faster."
Adds Brylee: "It's easy to get sped up and then when someone is guarding you it can turn into a mistake. In high school, you could get away with a bad pass, but here they're going to get that. That's what I'm working on right now."
When they're not on the court, they're homebodies and cherish their rest. Jaelyn is in the middle of watching "Wreck-It Ralph" on Disney Plus; Brylee is watching "Scream," "How to Get Away with Murder" and "You" on Netflix.
Those days are quickly becoming limited.
K-State opens its regular season against Central Arkansas tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Bramlage.
"I really like the color purple and when you put on the jersey, there's so much energy that comes along with it," Jaelyn says. "Everyone on the team is so energetic that it really motivates you to do better. I thought about the fans before the first exhibition game. I was super nervous because there were going to be a lot of people. Once you're on the court, the nerves just go away."
That's what Brylee probably most appreciates as well.
"It's a great feeling when you have on that jersey and run out and see all of the people waiting for you," Brylee says. "It's an unbelievable feeling."
They're forever grateful they're able to reach this level together.
"It's so nice to have someone on the court who knows you and balances you out," Jaelyn says. "Because we're twins, we have that connection. We'll always have that connection."
Since they were in the eighth grade, Jaelyn and Brylee Glenn had an idea about their college plans. That's when Kansas State began recruiting the twin sisters out of Kansas City, Missouri. Each year, the K-State women's basketball coaches invited them to a football or basketball game. They always checked on the sisters. As their prep careers continued, they already felt like they had a home waiting for them in Manhattan.
"A huge amount of support from the coaching staff," Brylee says. "Ever since we were in the eighth grade."
"Definitely," Jaelyn adds, "K-State coaches played a huge part in our decision."
Today, Jaelyn and Brylee sit next to each other on a black leather couch in the second floor lobby of the Ice Family Basketball Center. They wear matching black K-State practice jerseys above purple t-shirts. Jaelyn's jersey reads "3" and Brylee's reads "5."
They don't answer each other's questions, and, no, they can't look at each other and think of the same food. Heck, Jaelyn aspires to get into baking and Brylee could care less about honing her culinary skills. But since they were in kindergarten, they've been in lock step on the basketball court. They're both 6-foot-1 and full of energy. They demonstrated as much at times during the K-State's two exhibition wins at Bramlage Coliseum.
They know where each other is on the court.
"This is my person," Brylee says. "This is the person I've always played basketball with. We work well together. I couldn't see myself playing basketball without her."
Jaelyn finished her senior season at The Barstow School averaging 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and nearly two blocks en route to becoming a 2021 McDonald's All-American Game nominee. Jaelyn was the nation's 54th ranked player by ESPNW Hoopgurlz. Brylee averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals and was the 75th ranked player by ProspectsNation.com. She set the school record with more than 1,000 career points and was the first player in school history to score at least 40 points in three different games.
"We went to a camp at Nebraska, and I performed extremely well when I was there, so I knew Nebraska had a lot of interest in us, but I couldn't envision going anywhere but here," Brylee says. "I saw ourselves making an impact here and that's what we're hoping to do."
From playing together on Little Ballers for Raymore-Peculiar, and then onto ABA Supreme, to Future, to Missouri Phenom Pheesa, and to Lady Run GMC, the Glenn's lived in the gym for eight years under the tutelage of AAU head coach Rodney Gilyard, who they call one of the most impactful people in their lives. Their team went 25-2 during the summer of 2018 and won the Prague 17-and-under division of the 2018 Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago.
"We started playing in third grade under Rodney, our first and only AAU basketball coach," Jaelyn says. "Obviously, being new to basketball, we weren't very good, but he always stuck with us. He never gave up on us. He pushed us to do better. We were with him all the way until K-State — eight years of just making us better people on and off the court, and not giving up on us when we weren't performing well. He saw potential in us."
Perhaps the most arresting moment of the Glenn's journey came during the fifth game of their junior season in December 2019. That's when Brylee went down with a torn ACL. They always knew that they would play basketball at the same college. So, the injury appeared to be a setback for both sisters. Yet from the injury arrived a steady dose of determination from within Brylee and boundless compassion from Jaelyn, and the K-State coaches, which accelerated her comeback.
"I was like, 'Am I ever going to play the same again? Am I constantly going to worry about retearing it?' I thought about stuff like that," Brylee says. "But when I was on crutches, I took the opportunity to focus on my weaknesses. I'd be standing in the gym working on my ballhandling. I took it as a learning experience to improve. When I returned to the court, it felt like no time had left. I just played my game.
"The K-State coaches never doubted that I'd come back better than I was before, so that played a huge part, the confidence they had in me."
K-State head coach Jeff Mittie maintains that confidence as both freshmen could evolve into contributors this season.
"Brylee's aggressiveness and toughness stood out in watching her," Mittie says. "She has tons of energy. She's a glue-type player who makes everyone around her better. She plays with no fear. It's kind of rare for a freshman to come in here and not overthink things and not be overwhelmed, but that's continued on. She's exactly what we saw in AAU and high school basketball.
"Jaelyn is a very quiet, very smart and skilled basketball player. Every practice she comes in ready to go. She has a really good effort level. She's a good 3-point shooter and capable of playing four positions on the floor. She's a versatile player and a good defender. She uses her length and takes good angles on defense."
However, both sisters continue to adjust to the Division I level.
"The speed of the game is different, and we don't have our parents here, or our dad saying, 'You need to work on this, this and this,'" Jaelyn says. "We have to do that on our own. The court is definitely bigger, and the game is faster."
Adds Brylee: "It's easy to get sped up and then when someone is guarding you it can turn into a mistake. In high school, you could get away with a bad pass, but here they're going to get that. That's what I'm working on right now."
When they're not on the court, they're homebodies and cherish their rest. Jaelyn is in the middle of watching "Wreck-It Ralph" on Disney Plus; Brylee is watching "Scream," "How to Get Away with Murder" and "You" on Netflix.
Those days are quickly becoming limited.
K-State opens its regular season against Central Arkansas tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Bramlage.
"I really like the color purple and when you put on the jersey, there's so much energy that comes along with it," Jaelyn says. "Everyone on the team is so energetic that it really motivates you to do better. I thought about the fans before the first exhibition game. I was super nervous because there were going to be a lot of people. Once you're on the court, the nerves just go away."
That's what Brylee probably most appreciates as well.
"It's a great feeling when you have on that jersey and run out and see all of the people waiting for you," Brylee says. "It's an unbelievable feeling."
They're forever grateful they're able to reach this level together.
"It's so nice to have someone on the court who knows you and balances you out," Jaelyn says. "Because we're twins, we have that connection. We'll always have that connection."
Players Mentioned
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