Faces Of The Big South: Winthrop’s Sydney and Sierra Hunter

The Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championships tip off in Charlotte next month. Both the men and womens teams will battle it out at Bojangles Coliseum, including the Winthrop Eagles. 

WCCB Charlotte’s Hannah Oliveto introduces us to a pair of players that could pose double trouble for Winthrop opponents.

Twin sisters, Sydney and Sierra Hunter have been together since day one. The other constant in their lives besides each other is basketball. 

Sydney Hunter says, “We both started the same time on the same team. Our dad was our first coach it was a rec league, right, now I don’t remember the exact age, but we were very little so.” 

Her sister Sierra finishes her thought, “Yeah I would say around five years old.”

From five to their senior year at Mallard Creek, the dynamic duo wanted to take their talents to the same school for four more years. 

“It was just like that was so high on my priority list to go to school with Sierra because I’ve never been away from her and I didn’t want to have to be away from her if I didn’t have to be so eventually we are going to part ways and if you know in adulthood and I get a job wherever, she gets a job wherever but while I can I wanted to be with Sierra.”

They both got offers from Winthrop, where they quickly made a difference on and off the court. 

“Hope House is a really really cool place,” says Sydney. “We started going at the end of last year and we fell in love with it because everybody was so welcoming. The goal is to help people, the goal is to be as efficient as possible by helping people.”

“My mom has always taught us in order to receive you have to give and giving our time to them we receive new people I want to come to the game, just little things like that,” adds Sierra. 

When they’re not volunteering, they’re working in the gym. But the twins don’t do everything the same way. 

“We do play the same position and we have completely different playing styles and personalities on the court. Like I said she’s more of a shooter finesse player. She was going to do a spin move off of you or whatever and I’m the drop, step, right into your chest or whatever.”

The twins describe their playing styles. 

“I guess finesse is the word and play the same position I think that’s what helped us develop, playing against each other with different styles.”