When Khamille and Khassidy Warr paid their first visit to Allen Community College on a brisk February evening in 2022, they didn't realize they were about to witness history.
The twin sisters were in town on a recruiting trip to watch the Red Devils take on Jayhawk Conference rival Kansas City Kansas. Allen, which was coming off a one-win season the year prior, had shown marked improvement under first-year head coach Leslie Crane. That improvement was evident as Allen, which had lost to that same KCK squad three weeks earlier, broke open a small lead to pull home a nine-point win.
Why the celebration? It was Allen's 10th win of the year. I don't think they realized how big of a deal that was, Crane laughed. It was huge. It marked the first time Allen had reached double digits in victories since ACC went 16-15 in 2015. You had to go back nearly another decade to find Allen's last winning season before that in 2006.
It had been a while, Crane said. Truth be told, Allen could have lost by 30 that evening, and it wouldn't have changed their minds, the sisters admitted.
Allen's past struggles mattered not a whit to the Warrs, who knew as soon as they stepped on campus they had found the right fit. It was an easy decision, said Khamille, called Koko by her coaches and teammates. She was one of the only coaches to get to us early and stayed in touch. Most coaches can be hard, but Coach Crane brings the energy and expects big things, noted Khassidy, who goes by KJ. One way or another she will pull it out of you.
Fast forward two years, and the Warrs are vital components to the 2023-24 Red Devils, who are in the upper echelon of the Jayhawk Conference standings. At 17-4, it marks Allen's winningest season since ACC went 19-13 in 2006. And this week marked the first time all season Allen, ranked 19th, has garnered a spot in NJCAA Division II Women's Top 20.
LIKE THEIR appearance the Warrs are fraternal twins, not identical their playing styles closely mirror each others, but with a few distinct differences. While both are comfortable around the basket, willing to battle it out with taller opponents for rebounds, Khassidy is just as polished on the perimeter. I'd consider my strength my pull-up jumper, she said. I like mid-range shots. But I also like working close to the basket. Khamille, who also has developed an effective jump shot, is more suited inside. I may not be as tall as most post players, but I'm just as strong,? she said with a sheepish grin. Their physical attributes are accentuated with a high basketball IQ, their coach notes. When I recruited them, I knew I wanted them both, Crane said I watched them play a lot during the previous summer, and I knew they could do a lot of the things we needed.
Their statistics are a close match as well. Khassidy is tied for the team lead of ACC's balanced scoring attack at nearly 12 points a game. She also averages 5 rebounds and nearly 2 steals a game. Khamille averages 9 points and 6 rebounds and 1 steal per contest. Coach Crane and the Warrs had a connection long before she started recruiting them.
Years ago, when Crane was in her first year at Independence Community College, her last stop before coaching at Allen her father, Neal, was scouting a player from legendary Northside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. Neal, already a legend in the halls at Allen because of his 15-year stint coaching the men's basketball team, crossed paths with Jerry Triplet, who happened to know pretty much every player on the Northside squad and their parents. The pair hit it off instantly. Jerry helped us get other kids, Leslie Crane noted. Triplet also happened to be cousins with Faye Warr, Khamille and Khassidy's mother. We got to see them play quite a bit, Crane noted. I talked to a lot of people, and they would always gush about those Warr twins.
They ended high school on a high note. Northside won the state championship their junior year, and took runner-up as seniors.
Photo and Article Credit: Richard Luken