Basketball has always played a prominent role in the lives of sisters Michelle and Monique Pruitt.
Their mom, Chris Pruitt—a former basketball player at the University of Wisconsin—indoctrinated them in sport.
“She did everything to get us to perfect our fundamentals early on so that from there, the sport could come easy to us,” Monique said.
The sisters are banking on that training to bring success on the court to the Lady Sharks this season.
“What they give to the team is a one-two punch,” said Lady Sharks head coach Susan Summons. “With Michelle, she gives us the ability to space the floor while providing a reliable low-post presence and veteran leadership, coming from a Division I school. Monique is one of those hyper-athletic guards that can almost do it all, shoot, pass and drive.”
Although Summons hasn’t decided how much playing time the duo will get, their chemistry has already been felt by teammates.
“Every player likes things differently,” fellow Chicago native and current Lady Sharks teammate Daliyah Brown said. “It helps to have them both together on the same team because they help give us advice to know how one prefers her passes or where they like to take their shots. It’s given us an advantage in practice.”
Brown, a guard, was also Monique’s AAU adversary in Chicago.
“Before, when we got on the court, we were rivals. I wanted to do nothing else but make sure I beat [Monique]. We didn’t like each other when we played,” Brown said. “But now, we’ve gotten closer and it’s helped our team adapt and work better.”
The sisters grew up in the suburbs of South Holland, Chicago. They constantly competed against each other. That competition made them stronger.
Michelle, 18, graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Illinois in 2017, where she helped lead her team to the Southwest Suburban Conference championship. She spent her freshman year of college playing at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, averaging 7.7 points and five rebounds per game. But she didn’t feel the program was the best fit for her talent.
“They had me as a back-to-the-basket type of player,” Michelle said. “I rarely got a chance to step out and expand my range.”
Monique, 17, graduated from Montverde Academy near Orlando in 2018 with a plethora of Division I offers. The freshman guard picked Miami Dade College because she believes it offers a great opportunity to nurture her talent.
“We really feel that with the system coach [Summons] has, we can reach our peak as players,” Michelle said.
The Lady Sharks start their season on the road Nov. 2 versus Hillsborough Community College at 6 p.m.
