Twin towers holding court
Cornélie-Sigmundová, Grant-Allen are similar yet far from same mold.
— They are both ALBANY, N.Y. 6-foot-5 and have similar builds and wingspans. They are good friends and roommates.
Both are international players — Jodie Cornélie-Sigmundová is from Strasbourg, France; Saicha Grant-Allen is from Hamilton, Ontario — who have toured the world with their national basketball teams.
And each is a standout in the classroom at the University of Dayton.
Yet while they seem to have so much in common, the two post players for the Flyers — who play their first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game this afternoon when they meet Louisville at the Times Union Center — actually are quite different on the court and off, say those who know them.
“They’re like salt and pepper,” UD coach Jim Jabir said.
“It’s like black and white,” Cornélie-Sigmundová said with a smile. “She’s like my sister ... but we are quite different.”
That was never more the case than last Saturday night on the eve of Flyers’ NCAA Tournament game with powerful No 2 seed Kentucky on the Wildcats’ home court in Lexington.
“The night Saicha got food poisoning from some Caesar salad,” Cornélie-Sigmundová said. “She got very sick and was throwing up and the trainer took her to her room and said she might not play the next day.
“I was like ‘Whaaaat? She
can’t do that!’ So before I went to sleep that night, I tried to pump myself up. I told myself, ‘All right, I’m ready to go to war. I have to because we want to win.’
“And you know what? That night I had a dream. I dreamed Bishop for them was not gonna play and we won. “
She was talking about Azia Bishop, Kentucky’s 6-foot 3 senior forward, who was her team’s top shot blocker and secondleading rebounder.
“And then we came onto the court for the game Sunday and Bishop wasn’t playing,” Cornélie-Sigmundová said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
UK coach Matthew Mitchell had suspended his veteran post player for violating team rules.
And in what turned out to be a slugfest of a game, seventh-seeded Dayton did win, coming from behind for the stunning 9994 upset.
As it turned out, the Flyers’ twin towers were both big parts of the victory.
Before fouling out, Cornélie-Sigmundová made four of six shots for nine points, had eight rebounds and blocked six shots. Grant-Allen was able to play 16 minutes, made three of four shots and finished with six points and five rebounds.
While the pair often spell each other, there are times Jabir plays them side by side.
“It can be imposing,” he said.
That said, the players agree their games are different.
“She’s more physical, more aggressive and she’s gonna bang around inside,” said Cornélie-Sigmundová. “I’m way more finesse. I’m more of a shooter from outside.
“On defense she’s more down into the stance and able to slide into position. I don’t slide that much, but then I block it at the end. So we always argue. What’s the best defense? Is it better to slide or to block their shots?”
Cornélie-Sigmundová certainly has made a name for herself swatting shots. She’s averaging 2.6 per game this season, tops in the Atlantic 10 Conference and 21st nationally. With 178 career blocks, she’s third all-time at Dayton and just 48 behind the program’s top deflector, Michele Kruty, who got 220 in the late 1980s.
Otherwise, they score and rebound about the same. Grant-Allen, a sophomore, averages 6 points and 5 rebounds, while Cornélie-Sigmundová, a junior, is at 5.6 and 5.9, respectively.
“Both of their games are growing,” Jabir said. “It’s fun to watch them develop. And it’s just as cool to hear about what they are doing in the classroom.”
Cornélie-Sigmundová is a chemical engineering student who was named to the A-10’s All-Academic first team.
“She’s a genius,” Jabir said. “And Saicha is a great student, too. She’s in education and is going to be a teacher. Her professors send me notes. They say they love her in class because she’s so engaged, so conscientious.
“They are both amazing people.”
Cornélie-Sigmundová said they try to be conscientious in everyday life as well.
“She cares about the world, the environment, and I try to make her care more. ... But with other things, like religion, she’s more religious than me. “
There are other traits where they admit they can’t sway the other.
“We’re both very stubborn,” said Grant-Allen. “She likes all kinds of raw food. She can eat sushi forever, but not me. My stomach can’t take it.
“And she likes rap and I like country and anything but rap. And clothes? She’s more into vibrant colors and trendy. I’m more minimalist.”
Cornélie-Sigmundová said that’s especially true in their Caldwell Street apartment.
“Her room looks like she just moved in. There’s nothing on the walls. Her luggage is under the bed.
“In my room there are posters everywhere, pictures and postcards. My mom sends me a postcard every week and I put them all up on the walls.
“One poster I got up there I just love. It says ‘We are just starting to fly.’ It’s a person flying with birds all around him. It has nothing to do with the Dayton Flyers. I saw it in California and got it.”
Yet, the UD women are flying like never before and because of it Cornélie-Sigmundová admitted late Friday afternoon to feeling a little pressure about bedtime later that night.
“My teammates are all telling me they want me to have the same dream again tonight. I’m hoping I can repeat it.” And Grant-Allen? Cornélie-Sigmundová just smiled:
“I don’t think she’ll have Caesar salad.”