Lanetta and Lanyce Williams are the perfect twins. Not exactly because of how similar their personalities are, but rather, due to the ways in which they differ.

“It’s just like having a best friend from Day 1,” Lanyce said.

“We very rarely even argue. If we ever do, it’s over something dumb that’s not even a big deal,” Lanetta said.

Their relationship has consistently grown stronger over the years. Now freshmen on the University of Memphis women’s basketball team, the twins are a tremendous help to each other as they begin their lives as student-athletes.

On the court, Lanetta is typically the more assertive of the two. Off the court, it’s often the opposite, with Lanyce playing the role of the more social sister.

“It’s really funny to watch them function that way,” said Memphis head coach Melissa McFerrin. “It’s like they’ve adapted so well to each other that at least one of them is comfortable in every situation.”

The twins also differ in how each of them came to love basketball.

Lanetta was hooked at a very young age. As far back as the second grade, the twins can remember her practicing regularly and constantly trying to learn more about the game.

“Lanetta always wanted to play,” said their father, Lance Williams. “She’d pick up on some skills she was probably way too young to be trying and go do it in a game. I remember her trying a crossover (dribble) when she was really young. I had to be like, ‘What are you doing, girl?’ It was always, ‘Well, I saw this on TV’ or ‘I saw this guy or girl do this the other day.’ She was always very into the game like that.”

Lanyce didn’t take up basketball until fifth grade. Even when she first began, there was some uncertainty as to whether she’d grow to enjoy it. Lance remembers many anxious moments hoping his daughter would gain confidence on the court.

“When she first started playing, she would always end up on a fast-break layup and I’d always have to close my eyes, lean back and just say, ‘Please don’t miss, please don’t miss,’” Lance said. “I remember one time she shot it and the ball got stuck in the corner of the rim, like a jump ball. At that point, I had to make sure I encouraged her.

“I don’t see her missing too many layups now, because she’s always putting in the work.”

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Basketball is in the twins’ blood. Their father was an impact player throughout his four years at DePaul (1998-2002). Lance’s collegiate accomplishments were recently recognized with his induction in the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class.

Following college, Lance played 15 seasons in various leagues overseas. He spent time in Turkey, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Greece and Uruguay.

He wasn’t completely detached from his family during that time, though. From second through fifth grade, the twins spent every school year in Turkey and returned to the U.S. in the summer.

“Having them with me so much while playing overseas for 15 years helped me a lot,” Lance said. “It would have been a struggle. I wouldn’t have made it that long and that far without them being with me. I would’ve been worried about what’s going on and what they’re doing. It helped me a lot just to be able to raise them while I was playing.”

Balancing family life between multiple countries presented many obstacles for the family. Lance is quick to point out none of it would’ve been possible without his wife Minnetta. A school teacher by trade, she spent time homeschooling their kids. The twins also attended an international school in Turkey, where they helped other students with English while also picking up on the Turkish language themselves.

They were raised in a life that centered around basketball and family while immersed in a foreign culture. It’s what shaped them into the players, students and people they are today.

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As their father’s career began to wind down, the twins’ basketball future started to blossom.

They remember first drawing interest from Division I schools — particularly Memphis and DePaul — while in seventh grade. In eighth grade, they played on a team with and competed against ninth graders. That’s also when Lance began coaching his daughters and their team that played against some of the top competition across the country.

The following year, college coaches began reaching out to Lance, asking about “those twins that were freshmen” last year.

“I had to say, ‘Those were eighth graders. Those are my daughters,’” Lance said. “They were already recruiting them as Class of 2018. For me, that’s when I knew they would be able to play at the top level in college.”

From eighth grade until signing with Memphis in November of 2018, the interest from colleges was regular and constantly growing. They seriously considered many of their numerous scholarship offers. Regardless of where they would end up, there was never any consideration given to splitting up.

“We did our recruitment together,” Lanetta said. “All of it, from start to finish, everything. We told coaches from the very beginning we were planning to go together. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

The twins had a final three of Memphis, Georgia and Ole Miss. Before that list was narrowed, it also included Mississippi State, Miami (Fla.) and Louisville.

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The twins are technically natives of Chicago, where they spent nearly the first decade of their life. The combination of warmer weather and half their family being located in the South brought the family to Memphis. To the twins, who graduated from suburban Arlington High School last spring, Memphis is most definitely home.

During the recruiting process, there were many visits to other schools, discussions with coaches and pros and cons lists created. But when decision time arrived, home was the easy choice for Lanetta and Lanyce.

“Memphis was just our true good gut feeling,” Lanyce said. “It had everything we wanted. We are super close to our family. So, to have a school with everything we wanted, plus being close to family, it was perfect.”

The uniqueness of the city, as an urban environment in love with its University, also helped influence the twins’ decision. 

“Growing up in Memphis, you just see Tigers everywhere,” Lanyce said. “There’s no doubt that had an influence on us. And when we were in high school narrowing down our choices, we had so many people who pitched Memphis to us.”

The twins have been on campus since June preparing for their first season as Tigers. Even in just their first few months at the University, it became very apparent to them they made the right decision.

“It’s so much fun,” Lanetta said. “You know it’s going to be hard coming in because, obviously, it’s a whole different level than anything you’ve experienced. At the same time, you get so much help that it’s not overwhelming. And having a coach (McFerrin) who has been recruiting us since the seventh grade and knows us so well is really a great thing.”

Whatever the future holds, they’ve got each other, with personalities that are just different enough to work perfectly together. They’ve also got their family, and their home city, behind them.