March 27, 2023, saw the end of the Kim Stephens era of Glenville State women’s basketball. An offensive juggernaut for her entire tenure, the Pioneers were the 2022 DII women’s basketball national champions and fell just short of a repeat in the national semifinals last year. A month later, her successor was named.
Emily Stoller was named head coach for the coming season, and she quickly hired Abby Stoller as one of her assistant coaches. That’s no typo, Emily and Abby are sisters, and it feels like their entire lives have been building to this moment.
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“A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.” — Marion Garretty
Emily and Abby’s story begins in Fairmont, West Virginia, where the two grew up. Part of a huge family — according to Emily, their mom was one of 17 — the two seemed basketball ready from day one.
“We were raised in a big family,” Emily said. “Family means absolutely everything to us and it’s always family first, no matter what the situation is.
“We have three older brothers — so they laid the path,” she continued. “We always made jokes that we had a starting five in the family, so it kind of started there. Our dad was a huge mentor and was our…
