Splendid siblings

IOWA CITY - March Madness, meet Sibling Revelry.

If possessing the lone brother-sister combination in the NCAA tournaments is the barometer, then the Printys of Marion are college basketball's first family.

“It's amazing. It's fun. It's a testament to both kids and their parents,” said Lisa Bluder, coach of the Iowa women, who face Gonzaga at 3 p.m. (Iowa time) Saturday in Spokane, Wash.

Jaime Printy is the leading scorer for the 25th-ranked Hawkeyes (22-8). Her older brother, Jordan Printy, is a key reserve for the Indiana State men, who play Syracuse at 8:57 p.m. Friday in Cleveland.

While Jaime and Jordan are preparing for the games, their parents are making travel plans. Jeff Printy is making the 10-hour drive to Cleveland. Kelly Printy was hoping to book a flight to - and a hotel room in - Spokane, but said Wednesday it wasn't looking good.

“I'll probably go to Cleveland with Jeff,” she said.

It's nothing new. Jeff and Kelly, high school sweethearts and former college athletes, have spent much of their middle-age years in gyms throughout Iowa and the Midwest.

“People think we're nuts. But we won't be able to do this forever,” Kelly said.

“We're very proud of them, obviously, for their basketball talents,” Jeff said. “But we're more proud in the fact that they're both just really good kids. They've never given us any trouble.”

The Printy siblings are excellent students and model citizens, with uncommon long-range shooting touches.

Jordan, a 6-foot-4 junior backup guard, leads the Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion Sycamores (20-13) in 3-pointers, hitting 50 of 104 for 48.1 percent. He averages 6.1 points. Jaime, a 5-11 sophomore, leads the Hawkeyes at 16.5 points per game and has made 65 treys in 172 attempts (37.8 percent).

“Jordan is my role model,” Jaime said. “He's my best friend. He has good morals. He treats everyone the right way. I've tried so hard to be like him. He's such a good kid.”

The siblings contact each other daily via cell phone, Twitter or Facebook.

Though Jaime was bitterly disappointed when the Hawkeyes bowed out in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, it did present an opportunity. She accompanied her parents and 13-year-old sister Jenna to St. Louis, where Jordan and the Sycamores won the MVC tournament and grabbed an automatic bid for the NCAA.

“It wasn't cool that we lost,” Jaime said. “But it was a neat opportunity to see him play. He's worked so hard. He played so good. I got to hang out with my family and it was awesome to be a part of it.”

“Every game she's been at this year, we've won,” Jordan said.

Jeff Printy graduated from Cedar Rapids Washington in 1980. He played basketball at Washington, then two years at Kirkwood Community College. A 1980 graduate of Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Kelly was a sprinter and long jumper at Iowa.

The couple didn't push their kids into basketball. Some things just happen.

“They were both crazy about basketball since the time they could walk,” said Jeff, an engineering project specialist at Rockwell Collins. Kelly is a nurse at St. Luke's Hospital.

It was obvious quickly that Jaime “was going to be a special player,” Jordan said. His development came later.

“You could tell early that Jaime was going to be really good,” Jeff said. “Jordan shot well and had a good feel for the game. We didn't know he was going to be 6-4 or 6-5. Jaime, she was just a little phenom.”

Jaime committed to play for Bluder and the Hawkeyes when she was a freshman at Linn-Mar. She helped lead the Lions to three state tournaments. But it was Jordan who brought home a state championship, in 2008.

“I can't say enough about the experience of playing at Linn-Mar,” Jordan said. “The teams that came before me and established that tradition. It's a great school, great program, great people.”

The final Printy child appears to be taking a different path. A seventh-grader, Jenna is into dance, not basketball.

“Jenna really supports both of (her siblings),” Jeff said. “But she's certainly independent. She's proud of doing her own thing.”

Brothers and sisters playing NCAA Division I basketball; only Jaime and Jordan Printy of Marion made the NCAA tournament fields:

• Justin Graham (San Jose State) and Jessica Graham (Idaho)
• Marvelle Harris (Campbell) and Chandra Harris (Georgia State)
• Jordan Printy (Indiana State) and Jaime Printy (Iowa)
• Mike Venezia (Colgate) and Diana Venezia (UNC-Wilmington)