Modesto Christian’s Warwick twins share All-District Player of the Year

Nicole Warwick doesn’t know if basketball is in her future. The Modesto Christian High super athlete wants to compete in the heptathlon in college, where she’ll pursue her doctorate.

“There might be a couple of pick-up games here and there,” Nicole said, spinning a ball between her palms, “but I’m not going to compete anymore I think … as of right now.”

Know what her identical twin sister Meagan sees when she looks into the crystal ball?

Yep, track spikes and a stethoscope.

Is there no better way for this story to end?

The Warwicks have been a package deal since the day of their birth, and their lives have unfolded in lockstep with one another ever since.

So it should come as no surprise that Nicole and Meagan – or Meagan and Nicole – have been named The Bee’s All-District Girls Basketball co-Players of the Year after guiding the Crusaders to a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal appearance.

The two also shared the Modesto Metro Conference Most Valuable Player award, as voted on by opposing coaches.

“They created so many problems,” said Modesto Christian coach Robb Spencer, who pulled the Warwicks up as freshmen to make a CIF State title run in 2013-14. “You had to worry about them offensively because they could go by you in a heartbeat. But they’ll make you work even harder bringing the ball up. They’ll get in your face and they’ll stay there. They’re not going anywhere.

“That’s what separates them from everyone else. That’s what separates the great ones. They refuse to lose, and it’s never OK. They stew on it and try to figure it out.”

Each faced a unique challenge this season.

For Nicole, it was about continuing her growth as a vocal leader. For the first three years, she deferred to older talent.

This winter, she found her voice and saw dramatic changes in her overall game. She averaged 11.3 points, slightly down from her junior season, but improved in rebounding (+1.6), assists (+1.9) and steals (+1.5).

She averaged six rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 steals for the Crusaders, who went 14-0 in conference play and returned to the CIF State Regional Tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Modesto Christian had its section playoff run halted by Sacramento in the semifinal round at the University of the Pacific, and then pushed Valley Christian of San Jose in a quarterfinal loss in Northern California regional tournament.

“This year, there was a responsibility for me and the other seniors to step up and be the leaders, and not look to others,” Nicole said. “It was tough. I wasn’t used to it. I was prepared for it and knew what I had to do, but it was a work in progress.”

Meagan’s challenge was physical. Could she regain her elite athleticism after missing almost a year with a scary back injury?

She had surgery on her spinal cord in the fall of 2015 and spent the ensuing basketball season on the sidelines, coaching her teammates through another MMC run and Division I section playoff appearance.

At times, Meagan said she had to be helped out of bed. Though surgery left her body broken, the time away sharpened her mind and stoked her passion for the game.

“It gave me an attitude of gratitude,” she said.

Meagan rarely missed a practice, and while her teammates sweated through a drill, she was on the nearest baseline performing band work or push-ups.

“After spinal surgery, you’re so weak. Over the summer, I’d play two minutes and I’d be exhausted,” Meagan said. “Robb and I would just laugh about it, because before this, I could play game after game after game. After my injury, I was out shape, out of condition, and had no muscle.

“It was hard, but I just worked. My teammates encouraged me. Robb encouraged me. They were such a blessing.”

Meagan found her form, driven by those who told her she’d never again suit up for the Crusaders.

The springy 5-foot-7 guard made it back – in a big, big way.

Meagan led the team in rebounding (6.5), steals (5.3) and assists (5.1), and finished third in scoring (10.7).

She was seventh in the section in assists and 10th in steals.

Meagan was the missing link, Nicole said.

“We’re so alike when we play and we can keep up with each other,” Nicole added. “When she’s on defense and she gets a steal, I run with her. When she goes, I go. When I go, she goes. I missed it.”

Meagan began the season tentatively, easing back into Modesto Christian’s feverish pace, but she finished with a flurry.

She nearly had a quadruple-double against Gregori, closing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists.

“I was able to overcome all these negatives,” Meagan said. “I was told I’d never be able to play basketball again and I was able to prove that person wrong. That was a huge blessing.”

Spencer will miss the Warwick twins, whose prowess isn’t contained to the basketball gym. He knows they’ll do well, whether it’s chasing the podium in track or caring for a patient.

“It’s not the norm for kids to go all out like that, to be tenacious from the start of the game to the end. It’s the same way in practice,” Spencer said. “That’s not the norm. Ask any coach.

“There is no replacing them. They brought a great element to the program. More than anything, I think it’s their character. They’re great students with values that we always talk about.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 6:48 AM with the headline "Modesto Christian’s Warwick twins share All-District Player of the Year."