McKee Twins Find Common Ground at Duke
by Andy Krauss | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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Will McKee, a Division III All-American attackman at St. Lawrence, transferred to Duke to play with twin brother and Blue Devils defenseman Parker McKee. Will has 16 goals and six assists as a member of Duke's second midfield unit. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
Rusty McKee had a very easy decision to make about which way to
swing his allegiance come Saturday afternoon.
As a collegian, he played outside linebacker for legendary
football coach Ben Schwartzwalder at Syracuse between 1972 and
1975.
His twin sons, Parker and Will, have helped lead Duke into
Saturday's final four matchup with his beloved Orange. What's
a father to do?
Of course, Rusty will be wearing blue at Gillette Stadium,
cheering for the boys from Old Greenwich, Conn., who have made him
so proud.
The McKee twins are now the best of friends, but as they grew up,
times often became tenuous.
"We had the same clothes, the same friends, played the same
sports," said Parker. "We were similar and maybe too
similar. It's normal with siblings, but even more so with
twins, because we're always together. We fought when we
played video games and we fought about better grades at
school. We were very competitive. We had to find our
own identities."
After eighth grade, Rusty and his wife Libby realized that their
sons needed to separate to find the aforementioned identities and
decided to send them to different boarding schools.
Will became an all-league attackman at The Gunnery in Washington,
Conn., while Parker starred as an All-American defenseman at
Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. Both brothers also
played ice hockey at their respective schools.
During the first semester of their freshman year, the two barely
spoke. Coming back from winter break, their parents were
proven genius, as the 13-year-olds began to appreciate each other
and became closer friends. At that point, they made a pact to
go to college together and play lacrosse.
"It was really good for us to go our own ways and find ourselves,"
said Will. "We became individuals and realized that we're
stronger together than we our by ourselves."
After their junior year, the brothers attended the prestigious Top
205 camp in Maryland. Parker was quickly pursued by
Duke. Unfortunately for Will, he dislocated his patella
tendon (knee) and interest from Division I schools waned.
For two years, the brothers went separate ways again. Will went
north to upstate New York, where he starred as the Liberty League
Player of the Year at St. Lawrence University. It was an
experience Will feels was beneficial to his maturation.
Parker went south to Duke, where he was named honorable mention
All-America as a sophomore.
"I had a pretty tough choice whether to go Duke or be with my twin
brother at St. Lawrence," said Parker. "I chose Duke. He was
pretty upset with me and we didn't talk that much. We kind of
drifted apart again."
Will's success at St. Lawrence and healed knee allowed him to
transfer to Duke. The two became best friends again and moved
into an apartment in Durham.
Duke head coach John Danowski and his staff originally kept Will
at his attack position, but then changed their minds and felt that
he would be greater help as an offensive midfielder. "It was
uncomfortable at first, but I enjoy it now," Will said. "It's been
a great move for me."
Now, with their first chance to play together, the McKees have
been thriving in Durham. Parker is a starting defenseman who leads
the team with 92 ground balls, including 12 in Duke's 12-11
quarterfinal victory over North Carolina. Will has scored 16 goals
(including a pivotal one on Sunday) and added six assists on the
Blue Devils' second midfield.
They both have been a big part of Duke's third straight trip to
the final four and quest for the Blue Devils' first-ever national
title.
"We're now living the dream going to school and playing together,"
said Parker. "We're back to our old competitive ways, but it's much
more positive now."
Parker gleamed as he boasted of the brothers' victory in charades
at the Annapolis hotel the night before Sunday's quarterfinal.
Less than a week away from seeing his sons play on the game's
highest stage, Rusty had a chance to reflect on what it means to
him and his family.
"This is a dream that we've been dreaming for quite a while," said
Rusty. "It was a roll of the dice to separate the two.
They became the best of friends. They have become independent
from their situation, but are now very dependent upon each
other. We are very, very proud."
