The Nembhards' rise to basketball royalty is a family affair

Claude Nembhard has watched an endless number of his children's basketball games over the years, but this one feels different.

Gonzaga and UCLA are trading blows in the 2021 NCAA Tournament's Final Four. The Bulldogs are two games away from the first undefeated season in college basketball since Indiana's 1976 campaign, while the Bruins are four games removed from a First Four play-in contest.

The match is tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than seven at any point. A scoreless final 43 seconds sends the two schools to overtime.

Claude's oldest son, Andrew, breaks open the back-and-forth extra frame by creating separation from his defender with a killer crossover and drilling an uncontested step-back 3-pointer. "Big-time dagger!" exclaims legendary CBS broadcaster Bill Raftery to the millions of viewers tuning in on television.

Claude is looking on anxiously from the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It's the most nervous he's ever been during one of his kids' games.

His nerves aren't due to Andrew being the starting point guard of a No. 1 seed on the verge of history in overtime against an all-time program.

Rather, he's mostly on edge about being relegated to the crowd, unable to lead from the sidelines like he used to do.

"I have to get used to watching these games," he said. "I lose control when I'm not coaching them."

Chances are, any college basketball fan has heard the last name Nembhard.

Although Gonzaga ultimately lost in the national championship game, Andrew used his disappointment to put together a monster senior campaign for the top-ranked Bulldogs. He was recently named one of the five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which highlights the country's best floor generals.

His younger brother, Ryan, capped off a tremendous freshman season by becoming just the second Creighton player to win Big East freshman of the year. He led the Bluejays in minutes per game, helping them advance to the NCAA Tournament despite losing all five starters from the year prior.

Supporters of Canadian basketball should know the brothers' names too. The natives of Aurora, Ontario - just an hour north of Toronto - have represented their country on numerous occasions, most recently with Ryan leading the charge on Canada's bronze medal-winning U19 squad last summer.

It seems that everywhere the brothers go, success follows. It'd be easy to say that wasn't always the case, but that simply isn't true.

Claude grew up watching college basketball, from the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson battles to Hakeem Olajuwon's dominance at Houston. He loved the game but didn't come from a basketball family that could guide him through the sport. So when his kids expressed interest in the sport, he took a hands-on approach, coaching them for almost the entirety of their time in organized youth basketball.

His cool, calm, and collected attitude, emphasis on the fundamentals, and competitive nature are all evident when watching Andrew and Ryan on the court. Claude didn't teach his boys to play a certain position or style. He wanted them to understand the game from a zoomed-out lens.

"They're just basketball players," he said. "People like to say they're pass-first point guards, but they're basketball players first. They can play to whatever style the game is going."

One thing he definitely taught his kids to do is win. Claude Nembhard-coached basketball teams typically won any tournament they were in - local, provincial, or national. That success followed Andrew and Ryan as their journeys in basketball continued.

It started with Andrew, whose competitive teams were so dominant that he eventually moved up multiple age groups. It always seemed that his feel for the game was levels above his competition.

One of Andrew's teammates growing up was RJ Barrett, now a New York Knicks forward. Rowan, Barrett's father, marveled at how good of a passer Andrew was at such a young age.

"He always knew where all the players on the floor were," said Rowan. "He always had a very acute understanding of his responsibility to make sure he delivers the ball to those players and make sure they're in the right places at all times."

Andrew and RJ became close as teammates, eventually joining forces in the Canadian basketball system, junior academies, and youth teams. When it came time to advance past their competition in Canada, Andrew decided to join RJ at Montverde Academy in Florida to finish their high school careers.

Following the pattern, the boys brought their new team success. Montverde won the GEICO High School Nationals Tournament in 2018, defeating future Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and University School. RJ led the way with 25 points, and it was Andrew's game-high 13 assists that set him up. Both players made the tournament's first team.

The elder Barrett witnessed Andrew's growth from dominant youth to national star at Gonzaga and has only positive things to say about his game.

"He's tremendous. Anybody who really pays attention and watches him play understands just how valuable he is on the court," he said.

Andrew's greatest success in basketball, however, may not be one of his own accolades, but rather the importance he had in shaping Ryan’s path. In true point guard fashion, he surveyed the floor, saw an open teammate, and gave his younger brother an assist.

When the Nembhard family traveled to Andrew's games, Ryan would always come with them. In timeouts or in between matches, he'd run onto the court and quickly put up a few shots before sprinting back to his parents when the action resumed.

Ryan's competitive youth teams were as good as Andrew's. He fine-tuned his craft playing in the Team Canada development system, and when it was time to choose a prep school, he went to Montverde. Like his brother, Ryan brought his team to the GEICO championship, led the game in assists, and made the tournament's first team.

Ryan is extremely grateful that he can follow in his older brother's footsteps.

"He gave me something to look at before I got involved in all of this," he said. "I could talk to him about pretty much anything because he's had so many similar experiences. It's great having a big brother that loves me and wants the best for me."

However, following Andrew's path also came with initial drawbacks. Ryan often stood in the shadows of his older brother and wasn't always given his full credit.

His award-winning freshman season at Creighton changed that narrative in a hurry. The younger Nembhard brother showed the toughness, poise, and skill that had always been on display - even if some had yet to see it.

"Ryan's come into college, and he's charting his own path now," Rowan said. "He's very aggressive, very confident, and clearly he's carving his own game."

To understand how the Nembhard brothers made it to this point, one must understand the sacrifices their parents made.

Claude and his wife, Mary, haven't taken a vacation since their honeymoon. Instead, they spent their only free time after work and on weekends traveling to their children's games. When both sons had basketball commitments on the same night, the parents would split up and make sure Ryan and Andrew were at practice on time.

Suburban Aurora isn't a hotbed for basketball, either. The family would often have to travel long distances - to Toronto, Vaughan, Brampton, and eventually out of the Greater Toronto Area and around the United States to support their kids.

For Ryan, the long commutes and constant travel bring back positive memories.

"I remember just being in the car together on those long drives, having laughs, and lots of fun times," he said. "I loved all of my experiences being with my family on the road. It was always so special for me that my parents were at almost every single one of my events. That just shows how close we are."

Rowan knows the time commitment required of parents with kids in high-level basketball, but he only had one son to deal with and marvels at how Claude and Mary were able to manage both boys.

"I don't even know how they did that. When you do that, it means you get absolutely no vacation. It means every single weekend, you're packing up the van and going somewhere," said Rowan. "They really gave their lives to their kids."

Claude and Mary gave their sons more than just their free time. They instilled a focused, even-keel attitude that's evident in Andrew's and Ryan's games.

"They're both very tough kids. They're hard-nosed, and they're people you want to go to war with," Claude noted.

Ryan stands slightly undersized at just 6-foot, so his unfazed attitude manning the point makes all the difference. His ability to stay composed under pressure is one of his greatest attributes, and he admits that he has Andrew to thank for building his confidence in that realm.

"I think when I was younger, I wasn't always as calm and collected. But I think I've taken that from my brother. Emotions go up and down, but I always try to stay even-keel with my teammates," said Ryan.

If anything is clear about the Nembhards' success in basketball, it's no surprise that both Gonzaga and Creighton find themselves in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Andrew's Bulldogs lay claim to the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and are one of the favorites to cut down the nets in early April.

Should Gonzaga advance to the Elite Eight, there's a strong possibility its opponent would be 2-seed Duke, Andrew's former teammate RJ's alma mater. That matchup would cause quite a scene in the Barrett household.

"If I go against Duke, how could I look RJ in the face? I have to live in my house!" exclaimed Rowan. "But I can't go against Andrew - he's like one of our children, too."

Meanwhile, 9-seed Creighton will have to compete without its starting point guard. Ryan broke his wrist against St. John's in late February, providing a challenging end to an overwhelmingly positive campaign. While he isn't participating in this year's Big Dance, there's a strong likelihood he won't be waiting too much longer.

Two brothers playing at the highest level in college basketball is rare, but each leading their separate teams to March Madness while playing the game's toughest position is virtually unheard of.

For Claude, after spending countless hours driving, coaching, and mentoring his kids, he's enjoying seeing the result of it all.

"As parents, it doesn't get any better than this. It's awesome," he said.

After getting to know the Nembhards, it's easy to dub them the ultimate basketball family. They're quiet, focused, and stay true to the game they've dedicated their lives to. Claude was the coach, and Mary always joined to support her family. Andrew led a successful path for his brother Ryan to follow. The quartet is tight-knit but open to anyone curious about their rise to success.

Yet, when asked about that moniker, Claude immediately shuts it down.

"You could say, 'basketball family,' but we're just a family. Wherever our kids go, we're going to be with them."