Lexie and Lacie Hull, Stanford
Are there any other twin teammates you know in the country?
Lexie and Lacie Hull — If physical exhaustion and foul trouble weren’t a thing, many coaches would love to play their best players for 40 minutes a game. But for Stanford and Tara VanDerveer, the Hull twins — freshmen Lexie and Lacie — can basically split that time and do just that, making them a fascinating element of Stanford’s rotation.
Lexie (#12) was the more touted player out of high school, winning two Gatorade State Player of the Year trophies in Washington, but it’s been Lacie (#24) who has started all but six games this season and is fourth on the team in minutes per game, at 25.8. Lexie initially was the start but a foot injury that kept her out of nine games and led to her sister taking the starting spot, but she’s averaged 20.2 minutes per game on the season off the bench. VanDerveer has been able to pretty much have one Hull sister on the court at all times, and occasionally can have both of them, but each in firmly planted in Stanford’s rotation.
And they both are good system players surrounding Stanford’s other talent. Neither needs to score too much, as both average a little more than five points per game, but each has been reliable from three-point range (Lexie’s shooting 39 percent from deep, Lacie 35 percent) in Stanford’s motion offense. Defensively, both are fundamentally sound and box out well, though they differ a tad more on this end. Lexie has been the better rebounder (4.3 per game, nearly three a game on the defensive end), while Lacie has pounced into passing lanes to collect a team-high 50 steals on the season.
And again, they’re twins. They can essentially spell each other and be as fresh as possible the entire time they’re on the court. It’s truly something unique to the Cardinal. On a Stanford team that is heavily upperclassmen, watching how VanDerveer uses the two freshmen in their first NCAA Tournament will be fascinating. — Alex Simon