The R.J. Reynolds Varsity Girls’ Basketball team has a strong sense of connection. The girls flow and play remarkably well as a team. However, two girls are on the team whose relationship goes beyond teammate or friend. Senior, Elliot Jessup and sophomore, Daisy Jessup are sisters on the team, who both have had a passion for basketball from an early age.

“I just remember I did dance and then I decided to play basketball one season,” E. Jessup said. “My parents told me I decided between them because it was too much and it was just easy because I love basketball.”

D. Jessup, similarly, has been playing since she was young, and while both of the girls have been involved in the sport for most of their lives, they haven’t had opportunities to play together.

“This is our first year playing together because we’ve played in different age groups,” E. Jessup said.

Playing at RJR, the two have been able to appreciate what they love about their team together.

“The best thing about Reynolds basketball for me is the connections and friendships that I made,” E. Jessup said. “Just the experience of being able to play with my sister is fun.”

Aside from playing with each other, there are other reasons they love playing at RJR.

“[I’m] Just always having fun with my teammates,” E. Jessup said. “I’m never sad I have to go to practice because they always help cheer me up and have a fun practice.”

Sometimes, spending so much time with a sibling would seem troublesome, but this is not the case for the Jessup girls.

“Daisy’s like my best friend, so it’s like fun to be able to do something with my best friend.” E. Jessup said. “We’ll be in practice and we’ll just look at each other when we see something because we think the same things.”

The feeling of friendship is mutual between both of the girls.

“Being so close to Elliot makes playing basketball so much more fun,” D. Jessup said.

The girl’s wonderful relationship is prevalent on and off the court, spending much of their free time together on other shared passions.

“We get food a lot,” E. Jessup said. “We listen to music. I like Don Toliver, and Chipotle.”

Despite E. Jessup being a senior, her basketball career is far from over after this season. She is committed to the North Carolina Agricultural and Technological University to play women’s basketball next year. This opportunity is well-deserved and very exciting for E. Jessup.

“I’m excited because when I committed like one of the big things that went into it was picking a school was like where I felt most at home,” E. Jessup said.

North Carolina A&T has many benefits for E. Jessup and many things she was looking for in a school.

“I love the girls on the team,” E. Jessup said, “And the coaches. I’m just excited. Like there’s no nerves to it.”

This accomplishment is remarkable and sets up a very exciting future for E. Jessup. This basketball season has come with many fun moments and memories as a team. Our girl’s basketball team this year beat Mount Tabor, an exciting win for the girls on the team.

“When we beat Tabor, that was fun,” D. Jessup said. “I feel like we should have won the game like we did, but it was still a big win because Tabors is a really good team. We were all hyped after the game we made a TikTok and we sprayed water on Coach Eggers.”

Elliot and Daisy have a very special sibling relationship, unlike many others. The RJR women’s basketball team is lucky to have them for their talents and energy.