HOOPS DOUBLE TROUBLE
Twins connect at a high level
When twin sisters Kyanna and Kyia Giles were growing up, they were told to always stick together.
That’s advice the first-year University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball players have always taken to heart.
“Having a sister is great, but having a twin is just something a little more special,” Kyia says. “You connect on a higher level. We’re one, but not one. It’s hard to explain, but I feel complete with her there.”
“The best part of being a twin is always having someone there with you, no matter what,” Kyanna adds.
The Giles twins are to make their CIS debuts with the Cougars on Friday versus the Lakeland College Rustlers at the U of R’s Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport. Game time is 7 p.m.
As consistently dominant teammates at Sisler High School in Winnipeg, Kyanna and Kyia were ranked by high school coaches, respectively, as the area’s best and second-best female high school basketball players last season, when they were in Grade 12.
The sisters are quick to praise the work of the rest of their teammates and coaches in high school, but their bond is perhaps strongest on the court — and it’s so far yielded some impressive results.
The high-scoring sister act helped the Sisler Spartans win back-to-back provincial AAAA championships, in 2015 and 2016. Kyanna was ranked as Manitoba’s best female high school basketball player three years in a row, while Kyia finished third in Grade 11 before landing the second spot in Grade 12.
“I feel like I know where she’s going to be everywhere, all the time,” Kyanna says. “She’ll always catch my passes, no matter what. On the court we’ve got a different connection — a special connection.”
Continues Kyia: “I was just going to say the same thing. You know where the other person is going to be without having to talk about it or plan it too much. You already know what’s going to happen.”
Are there any downsides to playing with your twin?
“Not at all,” Kyanna offers. “A lot of people compare us with each other, and say one is better at this or that. But we don’t think about it like that. We each have our skills and strengths, and we’re just happy with how they complement each other.”
“I think it would be tougher not playing together,” Kyia adds with a laugh.
Unlike a no-look, faith-based pass, the girls are less eager to predict the future success of the Cougars. But they agree it’s an excellent fit.
Although they say other factors certainly played into their decision to attend the same school, rather than just sticking together, they’re very happy to be in Regina together.