University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Spotlight: Brianna and Nicole Mastey
2/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Note: This is a feature story on junior guards Brianna and Nicole Mastey that ran in the Jan. 30 Minnesota Basketball Game Program. The twins from Becker, Minn., have played different roles for the Gophers this season. Brianna has started 19 games and averages 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Nicole hasn't seen as much time on the court, but she is one of the team's hardest workers and she has served as a "motherly" figure to many of the team's young players.
By Justine Buerkle, Athletic Communications student assistant
Anyone who lives in Minnesota or follows baseball probably knows something about the Minnesota Twins. While anyone who has been to a game at Target Field knows about Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, those who attend Golden Gopher women's basketball games at Williams Arena might be just as familiar with another set of twins: Brianna and Nicole Mastey.
Like the baseball team, the Masteys are also Minnesota twins, hailing from the city of Becker. The Masteys do not mind sharing the title with a baseball team, as Brianna is a Twins fan and Nicole also enjoys going to games. During the Masteys' freshman year, this shared title became an idea for a t-shirt. Their family noticed, and the coaches also talked about, a tradition of making t-shirts specific to certain players on the team.
So a sheet was made with a few possible designs, and the option that won said: THE OTHER MINNESOTA TWINS. Now that the Masteys are juniors and these shirts have been in existence for a few years, friends and family members of the Masteys may be seen wearing them at games or around town.
People who own the shirts can wear them with pride. Brianna improved her game over the offseason and has started 19 games for the Gophers, averaging more than twice the playing time she got last year. Nicole is one of the hardest workers on the team, as well as a mentor for younger players.
"I think I've improved a lot on my overall game," Brianna said of the reason she was able to get into the starting lineup. "I worked hard on shooting this summer. ... I like where my shot's at. I think that my rebounding has really been pretty decent, pretty solid...That's one thing I really like to do in the guard position, one thing that I think is a big thing they look for me to do."
Nicole has also worked hard to improve her game, saying she is "not going to settle. I'm here and I want to play." She has moved from the frontcourt to more of a wing position this season. She has been working with assistant coach Kelly Roysland before practice to improve her ballhandling, which has made her more comfortable with this skill area.
"I'm becoming a lot more confident in my play in general," Nicole said. "So actually the transition wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Just because I had my teammates there, and they had confidence that I could do it, helped me transition faster."
Although Brianna is the older twin by a minute, Nicole says the twins' mother describes Nicole as the "more motherly figure." With four new freshmen this year, Nicole has enjoyed the opportunities to form new relationships and offer advice and has become especially close with Shonté Clay.
As evidenced by their different personalities, the fact that they are twins does not mean the Masteys do everything the same as each other. Brianna might be closer friends with a teammate than Nicole is, and vice versa. This year, as they did their freshman year, the Masteys are living apart from each other. Brianna rooms with Kiara Buford, and Nicole with Kristen Dockery.
Even so, not a day goes by when they don't see each other at Williams Arena or drop by the other's room to do homework or chat. So this summer will be a new experience for both of them.
Until now, the longest they have been apart was a few days when Brianna went to a basketball camp without Nicole. This time, it is Nicole's turn to go out on her own. She will be in Ireland for a study abroad program in leadership for three weeks during May and June.
"Bri didn't have a choice in this," Nicole said. "I think it's good for us. ... We'll both grow as individuals."
Brianna may not have had a choice in the matter, but she agrees with her sister.
"I think it'll be just fine," she said. "We both can do our own thing, even though we always end up together. I think it'll be fine. It'll be just a new experience, just to get used to after college when we won't always be there for each other."
This will be an especially different experience because the twins' birthday is on June 6, while Nicole will be in Ireland. They said they will probably be okay and will talk on Skype.
So the Masteys do not need to do everything together. But they do spend a lot of time together and have similar goals for the remainder of the basketball season: to continue improving and to help the team win to get some momentum going. They also each own one of the t-shirts dedicated to them, but they do not often wear them.
"I forget I have it," Nicole said. "I see it in my closet, but I don't wear it."
Brianna and Nicole don't need to wear those t-shirts for them to be seen-they have plenty of fans wearing the shirts for them. Those family members and friends appreciate Brianna and Nicole's hard work and importance to the team. The Masteys are a whole lot more than "other" twins to the Golden Gopher basketball program.
