Together, the Hamlet sisters have always shared a love for the game of basketball. From their time in the small town of McBain, Mich., all the way to Oakland, the girls have stuck together.

A shared passion

Elizabeth Hamlet, a junior guard has had a passion for basketball since she was a young girl. She said that it simply gave her something to do.

“I think I was born with a basketball in my hand,” Elizabeth said. “I was always around the game, always in the gym.  It gave me an alternative option growing up.”

Elizabeth joined her first travel team when she was in fourth grade. Meanwhile, her younger sister Annemarie had begun to show an interest in the game as well.

A freshman guard, Annemarie Hamlet has already made a name for herself at Oakland. Like her older sister, she was bit by the basketball bug between first and second grade.

A father’s guidance

“My dad was in the gym teaching me how to play,” Annemarie said. “He thought it would be fun if us girls could learn how to play basketball because that was something he was good at and he just wanted to teach us.”

The Hamlets’ father was a basketball coach for a travel team on which Elizabeth played. Despite the age difference, Annemarie would take advantage of her time spent around the court.

“She might have been better than half the girls on the traveling team,” Elizabeth said. “Three years younger than everyone else. Anytime she got an opportunity to hop in, whether it was one on one or practicing drills, coming in and shooting with the other girls or even playing in some of our games when we were a couple girls short. She always capitalized on that opportunity.”

Together at McBain High School, the girls led their team to a state runner-up finish.

Once again, matching uniforms

After being recruited by Oakland for a long time, Elizabeth moved on to join the Golden Grizzlies. When it came time for Annemarie to decide her path, she chose to follow in her sister’s footsteps.

“They really cared about us as people, not just as players,” Annemarie said. “And also having Elizabeth go to college there, it made me want to follow my big sister because I’ve always been following my big sister.”

Elizabeth was excited at the prospect of reuniting as teammates with Annemarie, comparing it to their time spent in high school. To Elizabeth, it feels like they’ve been playing together forever.

“We do well playing together,” Elizabeth said. “ She’s always been my little sidekick.”

The sisters’ competitiveness is one way that they have helped each other on the court. After shooting drills, they would play one on one. They can get aggressive, but they know it’s all out of love.

“Yeah, she might give me a hard time every once in a while but that just keeps it fun,” Elizabeth said. “It keeps things interesting. We get to have a lot of fun with each other.”

Annemarie credits her big sister for helping her both mentally and physically while on the court.

“When we play, she’s always roughing around with me which makes me stronger,” Annemarie said.

“Mentally, you know, she’s gone through it all. She’s an older sister and without her I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Annemarie said. “She’s gotten me here and she’s taught me all the hard things that she’s had to go through first, so I get the easy route.”

Contact Senior Reporter Lindsay Beaver via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @lindsaybeavs