For the Harvard women's basketball team, sometimes it helps to have a family connection.

Melissa and Sarah Johnson, a sisterly tandem out of Syracuse, N.Y., will suit up for the Crimson as it tries to return to the top of the Ivy League.

Although Melissa is technically a senior and three years older than her first-year sister, this season will be the first in a Crimson uniform for both Johnsons.

Melissa, a transfer from North Carolina, originally passed over Harvard for Chapel Hill, but transferred after her sophomore year. After sitting out one year as required by NCAA transfer rules, Melissa is now eligible to play for the Crimson.

So now, for at least one year, she will be playing alongside her younger sister, Sarah, who, like Melissa, was heavily recruited coming out of high school.

This year will not mark the first time that the Johnson sisters have played on the same team. In 1996, the two played together on the Westhill High School varsity squad, and the sisters lead Westhill to the New York state title.

"It's so much fun [playing together], especially after having the great season we had in high school together," Melissa said. "It was such a fun year. We just want to have that again."

Carolina Blues