Sister Act: Trio of Quaker Valley stars carrying on Quakers' tradition on the hardwood

Quaker Valley’s high school musical is slated to debut in March.

However, there’s a “Sister Act” going on right now on the Quakers’ basketball court.

Nora Johns, Mimi Thiero and Zora Washington all watched as their brothers, K.C., Adou and Coletrane, respectively, enjoyed distinguished careers for Quaker Valley’s boys team in recent years.

Now, the trio hopes to make its own mark this season – and beyond. The group has helped the Quakers to a 2-0 start in Section 2-4A and wants to get the team get back to the WPIAL title game for the second time in three years.

“It means a lot to me – it feels like I am carrying on a basketball legacy,” Johns said.

Johns, a senior point guard, has a strong Quaker Valley bloodline. She enjoyed watching her brother, K.C., a 2020 graduate. He was part of Quaker Valley teams that reached three straight WPIAL Class 4A title games (2017-19) and two PIAA semifinals (2017-18). Now, he’s a junior guard at Allegheny College.

Also, she had a chance to play with her sister, Lily, a ’21 graduate, for two years. Their father, Ken, is in his second year as the head coach of the girls team.

“It’s so nice to have my dad coach me here because he coached me in fifth and sixth grade,” Nora said. “It just feels good to have my family so involved with Quaker Valley basketball.”

Thiero, a 6-foot-3 freshman, has emerged as one of the area’s top prospects. Recently back from an ankle injury, she’s averaging a double-double in scoring and rebounds for the Quakers. Her success is not a surprise to many, considering Adou, a ’22 graduate, racked up 1,624 points at Quaker Valley. Now, he’s a freshman guard at Kentucky. Their parents, Al and Mariam, enjoyed successful basketball careers, too. Al played at Memphis and Duquesne, while Mariam was a 2006 WNBA draft choice.

“It’s really cool to be part of this,” Mimi said. “Knowing what my brother left behind, I have to keep adding on to it for the girls team. Always walking through the hallway and seeing his ball with all his points is really inspiring. It’s been an adjustment, but I think I have improved with keeping my head up and seeing more open people. I’ve been passing more and having more assists.”

Washington, a freshman, is one of the team’s top reserves. Two of her older siblings played NCAA Division I basketball. Coletrane Washington, a 2018 Quaker Valley graduate, was a teammate of K.C. Johns and finished with 1,551 points. He is a fifth-year senior guard at Drexel. Corinne Washington, a ’21 QV product, scored more than 1,000 points for the Quakers and helped them reach the program’s first WPIAL title game her senior year. She played one season at Boston University.

“It’s really great. My siblings played basketball in high school and in college. I’d watch them as a kid and think, ‘Wow I could never do this.’ It’s really exciting doing it now,” Zora said. “My brother is playing basketball right now and it’s really great because I can share that with him. Everybody in my family is happy that I can continue it.”

There is a lot of familiarity for the three girls. The Washington family lives a block away from the Johns family, while Zora and Mimi play for the same AAU program as well.

“I like being part of this community. I have known most of these players since I came to QV in second grade,” Mimi said. “I think Zora and I have great chemistry because we play AAU basketball together, too. We’re on the same team. Playing with each other for all those years gave us great chemistry. I know where she can score and she knows where I can score. I think we’ll just keep getting better.”

“There is a lot of togetherness on and off the court,” Nora added. “We have such great chemistry on the floor and we know each other really, really well.”

Another starter, senior Maria Helkowski, has a sister, Juliana, a ’21 QV graduate, who played basketball for two years as well.

“That’s just Quaker Valley. It’s one of the reasons I took the job. I’ve been at Quaker Valley as the son of a coach, the player for that coach and, now, to get the chance to coach my daughter is awesome,” said Ken Johns, whose father was a longtime QV coach. “You have a lot of other families that have been in the program and they have siblings who have played. We’re starting to pull and feel some of that camaraderie come over from the boys team, which has been so excellent for so long – that’s what we’re striving to be. It’s great to have that foundation. The kids understand what it takes to win because they were around with their brothers or their sisters. It’s just Quaker Valley.”

The Quakers will lean heavily on their Sister Act this year.

“They are all big pieces of the team,” Ken Johns said. “Everybody has their role and their role is going to change, night to night and depending on the matchups and what we’re trying to do and who is doing what. It’s nice to have some interchangeable parts. We tell everyone to be ready. We talk to them about attitude and effort and having everyone ready at all times.”

Even if the players had siblings who played before them or not, they consider themselves a family now.

“It’s really great because it brings community to the team,” Zora said. “Everybody is involved; it’s not just one person. The energy from the bench is amazing and it’s always encouraging to hear that.”

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Sister Act: Trio of Quaker Valley stars carrying on Quakers' tradition on the hardwood