The Jolly Twins: The Faces of Youth Basketball
Can two people be #1? What if the two people are close to being one, as in the likes of the Jolly Twins Henry and Ashton Jolly, who are currently co owners of the holding down the #1 player title in the country in the respective class of 2032. They are the new wave of youth basketball so get use to it.
Right now NIL deals are a big topic in sports. The Jolly Twins are walking NIL deals and have been marketed and managed by mom and dad with big goals in mind. Everywhere you see them, the cameras are out. Whether it's some kids hoping to go at them and make a name for them selves or their peers happy to meet them in person. Even adults try to find ways to be around the well deserved media attention that the Twins bring. It's contagious and it's fun for the kids.
We first caught up with coach Jolly (Dad) a few months ago when the Twins received their first official college offer to Bryant University. I would go out on a limb to say they are the youngest kids to ever receive an offer by the way. Now we are to find out how do they maintain and manage the continuous grind and success on a daily basis.
Ricky: So what's a typical day for the Jolly twins from start to finish?
Coach Jolly: The Twins get up at 6am to stretch and start shooting. We have a shooting machine at home (The Gun) so they make 500 shots a day. It’s a variation of game situation shots at game speed. Next they eat breakfast and begin school work. School is done around noon(lunchtime). So they’ll play video games and watch TV. They nap at 2pm. Get up at 4:30pm and do skill work, strength, and conditioning. After that it's bath's, dinner and then back to the video games and TV before bed.
Ricky: How often do the daily routine change change for the boys?
Coach Jolly: I keep the same routine as far as time, but I will change up some drills after I see they have mastered them.
Ricky: What do they do for fun outside of play basketball?
Coach Jolly: They do the typical kid stuff, go outside, they like to swim, ride bikes, anything that has to do with hanging with family.
Ricky: Is their any pushback from the boys on the type of workload or work regiment they have?
Coach Jolly: There is never any pushback from the boys. They just view it as hanging out and working out with their best friend. That’s the beauty of being very family oriented.
Ricky: What type of sacrifices have you and your wife had to make to keep them at the top of their game?
Coach Jolly: The sacrifices my wife and I have made is that we put what’s best for the kids as a top priority in our house. A lot of adults do what’s best for themselves and put their kids on the back burner. We both believe that our jobs are to protect, provide and make sure we help them achieve their goals as much as we can. Them knowing that we have their backs, it mentally keeps them at the top of their game.
Ricky: Do they understand the type of national following they've built this far?
Coach Jolly: They really don’t understand the type of national following that they have. The boys don’t have phones nor see social media. They don’t care to see highlights or accolades of themselves anyway. They really play basketball because it’s fun and they have a genuine love for the sport. They never ask about rankings or highlights. They just wanna hoop and eventually play in the NBA.
Ricky: Do they (the twins) enjoy a lot of the same things or are they different in more ways than not?
Coach Jolly: Yes, they enjoy the same things because they hang with each other 24/7. They do almost everything together.
Ricky: Why don't they play their grade 2032?
Coach Jolly: They don’t play in their grade because I like to challenge them and when it’s too easy, they will pickup bad habits that they are big enough and skilled enough to get away with. In the long run, it won’t help them. Their confidence is already through the roof so dominating their grade or even the next grade, won’t be so meaningful. When they’re able to dominate 2 and 3 grades up is when we know we are far ahead for the game.
Ricky: Is there a timeline on when they will start playing their grade?
Coach Jolly: They never will. One goal is to start as a Freshman in High School so in order to do that, you have to get used to playing against older, bigger, stronger and faster players. The twins are bigger than 90% of the guards in 2031 so playing in the Class of 2032 won’t give them the disadvantage I need them to have in order to get better quicker. By the time they reach high school, the Seniors are Class of 2029 kids so we need to be playing closer to that grade sooner than later. Right now majority of the season, the twins play in the Class of 2030.
Ricky: Is there an accolade or a specific goal or achievement that will make you feel like you've done what you as a parent set out to do?
Coach Jolly: The Goal is the NBA. That’s what they wanna do so imma back them 100% with no plan B.
Ricky: How does your youngest son compare to the two as at their age?
Coach Jolly: My youngest son, Hunter is actually a combination of the twins. All of their best attributes he has. So I’d say he’s slightly better than they were at his age but it’s super close.
