Glover twins making the most of final chance to play together

Cameron Glover took the news harder than his brother did.

In the fall, ahead of the start of his senior basketball season at Hewitt-Trussville High School, Cameron’s twin brother Colin reported some discomfort in his chest during conditioning.

That led to a few doctor’s appointments and eventually a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, effectively ending Colin’s basketball career.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is described as a thickness of the heart muscle, which prevents the heart from pumping blood efficiently. The doctor that provided the original diagnosis wouldn’t clear Colin to play any longer.

Cameron was crushed. The two have played together every year since kindergarten, with the only exception being their freshman year of high school.

“I’m not one to cry, but I almost did that day,” Cameron said. “It was like we worked this hard, did all this work for our last year of high school, and he couldn’t play.”

However, Colin received a second opinion from a doctor in Atlanta in October. His heart performed well during a stress test, and he was given the go-ahead to rejoin the Huskies’ team.

“When we found out he could play, it was like, ‘Yes, my guy is back,’” Cameron recalled.

The news was tough for Colin to deal with at first, but his father encouraged him to remain with the program, even if it meant in a non-playing capacity. Ultimately, that wasn’t needed, and he made his season debut Dec. 3 against Huffman.

“To have the good news of a second opinion saying he can play, it was a shot in the arm for us,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Jeff Baker said.

‘MY TOUGHEST CHALLENGE’

Despite the fact that Cameron and Colin are twins, Baker said he hardly ever confuses the two.

Their looks may mirror each other, but they are opposites in many ways.

“Cam is very serious, laser focused and wants to get stuff done. Colin is more laid back,” Baker said.

Both players chuckled as their coach described their personalities, agreeing with him.

Their games have many differences as well, even though they are both guards. Cameron is the Huskies’ leading scorer, possessing the ability to score the ball in bunches while being the team’s ball-handler at times. Colin has scoring ability as well, but he is known more for his defense.

They “go at each other in practice,” according to Baker, and their one-on-one matchups can escalate into the occasional shoving match.

“He’s maybe the only person that can guard me,” Cameron said. “He’s my toughest challenge.”

Colin nodded in agreement with that assessment, but conceded guarding Cameron is no easy task.

“I can score, but he just has it,” Colin said. “He’s a natural scorer.”

Baker added that Cameron has been efficient offensively as well, not needing a high volume of shots to get his points most nights.

“When you have that target on you and opponents know he’s our leading scorer, they’re going to throw a lot at him. He’s always been a rock,” Baker said.

BUILDING MOMENTUM

Colin’s presence didn’t provide immediate dividends on the scoreboard for the Huskies. After beginning the season 5-1, Hewitt-Trussville lost eight straight to fall to 5-9. But a trip to Fort Walton Beach right after Christmas seemingly turned the tide for the team.

The Huskies knocked off Choctaw, the tournament’s host, in overtime on Dec. 27 to snap the losing skid. They followed it up with a one-point win the next evening before a two-point loss in the tournament final.

“The Choctaw win was a turning point,” Cameron said. “Everyone got their confidence.”

After returning from Florida, Hewitt-Trussville earned a couple wins over Madison Academy and began Class 7A, Area 6 play with an overtime loss to Vestavia Hills and a big win over Spain Park.

It’s been several years since the Huskies won an area tournament game, much less advanced to the regional round of the postseason.

The twins are making the most of their final year in a Huskies uniform. Cameron aspires to play college basketball, and as of mid-January had received interest from a handful of Division III schools. Colin plans on heading to UAB to focus on physical therapy.

They are part of a senior class at Hewitt-Trussville that is aiming to get the Huskies back into the conversation as a consistent winner in 7A. The two of them, along with Brandan Copeland, J’Vahn Durgan, Trey Lockett and Jacolby Thomas, have progressed a great deal in their two years with Baker.

“In terms of our culture, I don’t think we would be where we are without these two guys and some others,” Baker said. “Any time you’re at a new place, you want reliable people, and they’ve been very reliable. I can’t speak highly enough about them.”

Hewitt-Trussville will begin its postseason run the first week of February with the area tournament.