Jana and Logan Kucera are sometimes asked if they share a twin telepathy.
The 23-year-old sisters from Chatham work so well together on the court that it’s easy to understand why observers might be curious.
“I wouldn’t say it’s twin telepathy,” Logan said, “but because we’ve been playing basketball together for so long, we can just read each other.
“We know exactly where we’re going to be in different plays. We know each other’s instincts on the court. Say, if one of us is down low in the key, the other one’s going to be outside at the three-point line. It’s just the way it works.”
They’re the most decorated women’s basketball players in St. Clair College history. Now their first steps after graduation are on a path that no Saints have taken before.
The Kuceras are the first Saints to turn pro. They’ve signed with Niksic 1995 in Montenegro for the 2022-23 season.
“To be the first two players, it’s a rewarding feeling,” Jana said. “Obviously we have to thank our coaches at St. Clair for giving us the opportunity to play at a high level of college basketball. Without their knowledgeable coaching and experience and support, we wouldn’t be the players we are today.”
The Chatham-Kent Secondary School graduates played four seasons at St. Clair and led the Saints to three consecutive silver medals at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championships.
They combined to receive five OCAA West Division all-star and five OCAA championship all-star nods, along with five Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association academic all-Canadian honors and one CCAA championship all-star selection.
“I consider them generational talents,” Saints head coach Andy Kiss said. “You just don’t see what they can bring to the table, skill set-wise, on any regular basis. The greatest compliment I can give them is our system, our program, we built it around their skill sets.”
Starters from Day 1, they finished as the No. 2 (Jana) and No. 3 (Logan) scorers in program history. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic that cost them one season and shortened another, Jana could have broken ex-Saint Shannon Kennedy’s OCAA career scoring record of 1,401 points, Kiss said.
The five-foot-six sisters have been teammates since they were eight years old.
They were as close in their college classrooms as on the court: two years together in the fitness and health promotion program, two years in the educational support program and then one year earning an autism and behavioral science certificate.
“We’re not talking about kids that just are great ballers,” Kiss said. “These young ladies are mature, they’re tremendous students, they’re really the embodiment of student-athlete. Honestly, great role models for young women who play the game and are going to school.”
The Kuceras are eager to take a leadership role in Niksic, the second-largest city in Montenegro. They expect to be the oldest players on a team with several teenagers.
“I know we’re more than capable of doing it,” Jana said. “We’ve been around high-level coaches all our life, high-level trainers who have pushed us. … Being around tough-minded people and coaches has helped us grow tremendously as individuals but also athletes.
“We’re not shy people. We’re ready to hop right in, have a conversation with someone new but ready to challenge others around us and hoping that they challenge us back so that we can all become a good team.”
Niksic 1995 will play in two leagues – one against teams from Montenegro and another (the Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association) versus teams from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia.
“It’s definitely a surreal feeling,” Logan said about a pro career. “We’re excited to take this opportunity and our basketball skills to the next level. We didn’t really think that we would get this far because we were focused on finishing our schooling first.
“But, now that it’s actually happening, we’re looking forward to the experience and to be able to meet new people, new players, play in a different league and travel Europe.”
Family members suggested for years they hire an agent, but the sisters didn’t do that until this season was winding down.
“Because of how well we play together and being so young, we weren’t ready to give up the sport yet,” Jana said. “And because we’re in such good shape, we want to keep playing for a couple years to travel over in Europe. We’re used to it and we know each other’s training routine and basketball style, so it’s easy that we get to go together.”
Being twins made it harder to find a pro club. Teams with room for two foreigners were more likely looking for a post and a guard than two similar-sized players.
They’re identical twins but don’t have identical styles, although both are good ball-handlers and solid outside shooters.
“Logan had the ability to negotiate and score in the paint,” Kiss said. “… She had a nice little pull-up game inside and could finish strong.
“Jana has a little bit more of a traditional guard skill-set overall. Fabulous shooter. If I want to teach a young lady how to shoot, I’m going to show them video of Jana shooting the ball.”
This past season, Logan led the Saints with 17.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and set an OCAA record by shooting 90.9 per cent at the foul line. Jana averaged 14.5 points and dished out a team-high 3.9 assists per game.
Their one-year contracts with Niksic 1995 start in mid-September. They’ll stay busy until then at Peak Athletic Training, where they’ve been members for seven years and coaches for three years.
“(Our) overall focus is just to train hard all summer, stay in shape, get ready for our season and hope for the best,” Logan said.
Niksic 1995 will be paying for their apartment, their transportation and two meals a day.
“Going over there, obviously we don’t know anyone, we don’t know how the competition is, we don’t know the skills of the players, but we’re just hoping to be role models and mentors to the younger teammates that we’re going to have,” Jana said. “Show them our skills and what we’re capable of, and be in a leadership role where we have success as a team.”
Logan and Jana will be irreplaceable at St. Clair, Kiss said.
“Think of all the kids that play basketball that dream of playing it professionally,” he said. “Lo and behold, these two young women from Chatham are doing it.
“They’re going overseas to Montenegro and they’re going to be paid to play basketball. I think that’s just literally awesome. Truly we beam with pride.”