Red Bank Siblings Look to Bring NCAA Tournament Championships to Duke

Duke University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams enter their respective NCAA Tournaments with great seeding and a real chance at bringing a title back to the school.

For siblings Casey and Haley Peters, March Madness is also a chance to bring a championship home to Red Bank.

Casey, 22, is a senior guard with the top-seeded Blue Devil’s men’s basketball team. His sister Haley, 18 and just a freshman, is a rising talent on a women’s squad already flush with talent.

And, while both would love to see the other succeed, there’s still something of a sibling rivalry for this pair. Casey already has a national title under his belt and could make it a second if Duke prevails this year. Haley is a member of a women’s team that has never found itself as the last team standing in the Big Dance.

Of course, there’s also every conversation over holiday dinner’s to think about too.

“We’re competitive,” Haley said. “This is for bragging rights. Obviously I would like (the men’s team) to succeed, but I would like to have a bit of a leg up on them too.”

Duke men play their first tournament game today at 3:10pm against Virginia’s Hampton University, a 16 seed. The game can be seen on truTV. Duke women open their tournament on Saturday against 15th seeded University of Tennessee-Martin in Durham at 1:30pm. The lady Dukes are an NCAA Tournament two seed.

No top seed has ever fallen to a 16 seed in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament. Second seeded teams have lost in the first round of the women’s tournament, though that’s been only on the rarest of occasions.

“I like our chances,” Haley said. “I like our team. We’re a talented team and we’ve continued to get better.”

Though both siblings play for Duke, the road to this point has been dramatically different for each.

Casey wasn’t recruited by the Blue Devils out of high school, despite being a standout performer on Red Bank Regional’s basketball team. He joined the team as a manager his freshman year to stay close, to practice with the team and hopefully catch the eye of one of its coaches.

For two years he stuck it out, getting appreciative nods from assistant coaches along with words of encouragement. If he kept working hard at it, they told him, something good might happen. Prior to the start of the 2009/10 season, Coach Mike Krzyzewski approached Casey and told him he was on the team.

Though his playing time has been limited – you won’t find more than a couple of minutes and rebounds on his career box score – Casey was, and will always be known as, a member of a national championship winning-team, after the Blue Devils took down the tournament last year.

Haley had her pick of schools to attend following a high school career as a star basketball player and class valedictorian at Peddie School, a prep school in Hightstown. Just a freshman, Haley started seven games for Duke this season and averages more than six points and 16 minutes a game.

Though their paths have been markedly different, Haley said the advice her brother has given her, and the effort he’s demonstrated to get to this point, has been invaluable in her short time at the North Carolina school.

“The biggest thing,” she said during a telephone interview following a team practice Thursday. “Is understanding the kind of hard work you have to put in here every day.”

The tournament will be a tough road for both. Haley is used to attending her brother’s home games, and used to her brother attending her home games, though they might not be possible with the traveling the teams will have to do.

Still, Haley said she expects to talk with her brother about their tournament games. She also hopes he’ll be able to shed some light on what to expect from March Madness as the tournament progresses.

“This is exciting, it’s the most exciting time of the year, but I’m trying to keep it in perspective,” she said. “It’s fun and it’s exciting, but at the same time it narrows your focus. This is for everything right now.”