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

Having just won a state championship in her senior year, Melissa was seemingly on top of the world. She was, however, constantly plagued by a nagging decision--should she enroll at Harvard or UNC?

"We were heartbroken when she didn't come," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "She was a top recruit for us. I believe Harvard and the University of North Carolina were her final choices--I think even for a period of time, Harvard was her first choice."

In the end, she decided to accept the full athletic scholarship from UNC, a school that had already won two NCAA championships in the '90s.

"I had really great visits at both [Harvard and UNC]," Melissa said. "But when someone tells you that they'll pay for your education for four years, its pretty enticing."

Melissa's choice was a tough blow to the Harvard women's basketball program. Not only did Harvard lose a potential impact player, but also Melissa contributed four points against Harvard in the UNC's 78-53 win in the first round of the 1997 NCAA tournament.

By the end of her sophomore year, however, Melissa had realized that Chapel Hill was not the place for her. Though she had served as her team's co-captain that year and had been promised a starting role the next season, Melissa decided to leave UNC.

"I always had had Harvard in the back of my mind," she said. "And I was really disappointed with the leadership of the basketball program [at UNC]."

Despite knowing that she would have to sit out her first year at Harvard, Melissa was willing to put her career on hold. The absence from the game, however, was painful.

Having to sit out "was really tough, especially since I don't think we reached our potential last year," Melissa said. "To know that I could help out there and not being able to do so--that was tough."

Now, however, she will be able to help her team as much as she wants. And for this, her coach and teammates could not be any happier.

"It would have been nice to have her for four [years]," Delaney-Smith said. "But we don't live in the past. It's nice to have her [now]."

Sister Act

In the three years after Melissa graduated from Westhill, Sarah went on to earn similar accolades, including breaking the 1,000-point career mark. Consequently, Sarah was highly recruited in her senior year of high school.

"She was a white-hot recruit," Melissa said, answering for her modest sister.

Midway through the recruiting process, Sarah narrowed her list of school to four: Richmond, William and Mary, George Washington and Harvard.

She was impressed with the program that coach Delaney-Smith had in place at the time, and the fact that her sister was already here made the decision easier. In the end, the choice was clear.

"[Melissa's presence] was definitely on the pro side of my list of pros and cons," Sarah said. "I didn't let [her being here] decide for me, but it was definitely a major benefit. And now that I'm here, it's more of a benefit than I thought it would be--just having family close by. I haven't gotten homesick yet."

With Sarah, Coach Delaney-Smith can rest easy knowing that she will have a prominent low-post player after Melissa's departure. Her older sister, however, does not just see her sibling as her replacement.

"Sarah is better than I was when I was as a freshman," said Melissa. "No question about it.

Landing the Johnson sisters signifies a huge step for Harvard in terms of recruiting. Without being able to offer athletic scholarships, Harvard is limited in its ability to entice the big-time high school players. Melissa and Sarah, however, say they can foresee Harvard evolving into a major force in women's basketball.

"This is just the beginning," Melissa said. "Our freshman class is so strong. And the recruits we're looking at for next year are all blue chip recruits. We are going to definitely be more and more a team that does well in the NCAA tournament, and becomes more of a nationally-known team."

Proving the Skeptics Wrong

The quest to attain those lofty goals begins in less than two weeks when Harvard takes on Stephen F. Austin in its season opener in Texas. Although the preseason Ivy League polls pick the Crimson to finish fourth in the league, Melissa and Sarah aim to help prove the so-called experts wrong.

"I think [the fourth-place ranking] is laughable," Melissa said. "But it doesn't bother me. All it does is motivate us. We have been working so hard, and every girl on the team has come back better than they were [a year ago]."

Sarah also feels the critics are mistaken.

"We're ranked fourth, but that doesn't tell much about us," Sarah adds. "And, if anything, its good coming in ranked fourth and being the underdog."

The Johnsons will have much to do with the Crimson's ability to prove detractors wrong. Melissa and Sarah are the team's two tallest players at 6'5 and 6'4, respectively.

Together, the sisters Johnson have the potential to be an intimidating presence around the basket, providing headaches for opposing teams on both ends of the floor.

"Melissa and her sister are just pure low-post players," Delaney-Smith said. "They have a quick hook and enough body strength."

In addition to their physical presence, the duo will certainly contribute several of the key intangibles necessary for team chemistry. Melissa brings with her a wealth of experience that will surely help with the development of the team's younger players. Along with team captain Laela Sturdy and senior Courtney Egelhoff, she will assume many of the leadership responsibilities.

"I loved the...sense of competition and atmosphere [at UNC]," Melissa said. "Now that I know what that's about, I feel like I can bring that intensity here. On the court, I try to be an emotional leader for my team. I get fired up."

Sarah can attest to that.

"Melissa's very intimidating when she plays," she said. "When she goes out on the floor, she puts on her basketball face."

Two of a Kind?

In more ways than one, Melissa and Sarah are the spitting images of each other. If not for their different hair colors--Melissa has red hair, Sarah is blonde--you might not be able to tell them apart. The two maintain, however, that they actually have very contrasting personalities.

"We look similar, we both play the same sport, and now we're here at the same school," Melissa said. "But Sarah and I are so different."

Melissa would be the A-type, Sarah the B-type.

"I tend to be the more laid back one," Sarah said. "I don't get too bent out of shape about a lot of things. Melissa is more of a perfectionist."

The two have different interests, as well. This past fall, Melissa served as a group leader for the Freshman Outdoor Program. Despite her best attempts to convince her sister to take part in the trip, Sarah would have nothing to do with it.

"Maybe if I could have brought my hair dryer," she said, laughing.

Regardless of their differences, Melissa and Sarah are always united in their cause when it comes to playing basketball. The two say that they feed off each other on the basketball court, and take great satisfaction in each other's successes.

"We definitely motivate each other," said Sarah. "If she scores, then I want to score."

More than simply sisters, they are each other's biggest fans. And growing up, they claim there wasn't really ever a sibling rivalry.

"People ask us that all the time," said Melissa. "But I just tell them that basketball will never be as important to me as my sister. I do feel that she has got such great potential, but I'm not threatened by the fact that I can make her a better player than I am."

Amen to that, sister.