Purdue women's basketball has three sets of sisters on roster: 'We’re not just playing in the driveway'

WEST LAFAYETTE — At the time, Madison Layden didn’t know she was going to be the first piece of a unique trend.

Layden, now a fourth-year player for Purdue women’s basketball, committed to the Boilermakers in October 2018 as a junior at Northwestern High School in Kokomo. The 2020 Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year picked her home state Boilermakers over multiple other offers, including Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Ball State and Butler.

"I wanted to stay close to home, so my family could come to the games,” Layden said. “I really care about family, really family oriented, so that was a big thing for me. And I just really loved Purdue, the coaches and players — obviously they've all left now — but I was excited to be here, and obviously great academics here as well. So, I think that kind of drew me in.”

Layden committed and started her career with Purdue under former head coach Sharon Versyp, who retired from Purdue in 2021 after 15 seasons in the wake of harassment allegations. While many of her teammates entered the transfer portal, Layden stayed. She believed in new head coach Katie Gearlds.

Little did she know, her little sister, McKenna, would think the same thing about Gearlds' squad.

McKenna Layden, who is three years younger than Madison, went through a similar recruiting process while at Northwestern High School. As the No. 5 player in the state, she had multiple options. She chose to be Gearlds’ first recruit at Purdue, committing ahead of her junior year of high school in June 2021.

“I think it’s important to have a coach that builds your confidence and lets you play how you want to play, and I knew after I talked to (Gearlds) that she was going to be that type of person,” McKenna Layden said. “Then, obviously, the campus, the academics, Madison; it was just a no-brainer to come here.”

The sisters were going to bring an interesting, dynamic energy to the Purdue women’s basketball team; after all, it’s not often teams get a set of sisters on the same Big Ten team.

But Madison Layden was just starting a trend for Purdue women's basketball — she was the first player of what is now three sets of sisters on the 2023-24 team.

More: Why Purdue women's basketball prioritizes in-state recruiting: 'Starts in your backyard'

Each set of sisters came to Purdue in their own, yet similar ways. Madison and McKenna Layden were recruited to Purdue out of high school; Caitlyn and Alaina Harper came after stints at West Coast schools, and Mila and Amiyah Reynolds had connections to Maryland before staying in the Big Ten with the Boilermakers.

“It’s awesome,” Madison Layden said. “Purdue always talks about being family-oriented, and it definitely shows now. It’s fun just to hang out, to see everyone’s personalities and how they interact with their sister.”

Caitlyn and Alaina Harper

Caitlyn Harper was the next piece of the puzzle. After four years at Cal Baptist in Los Angeles, the Hartland, Wisconsin, native transferred to Purdue in April 2022 for her final two seasons of eligibility.

“The community in and of itself is definitely a switch up from LA and California, and this my community,” Caitlyn Harper said. “Just the way that they rally around their sports teams, and the support that we get was really awesome to see.”

At the same time, her sister, Alaina Harper, was committed to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Alaina Harper played one season at Grand Canyon, starting two games and appearing in 29, before entering her name in the transfer portal.

And her top choice was none other than Purdue.

“The coaching staff, when I talked to them, we kind of just saw eye-to-eye,” Alaina Harper said. “Also, just meeting some of the players, I knew I was going to fit in well with them. They had the right mindset that I had as well.”

Caitlyn said she tried not to influence her little sister to come to Purdue; while Alaina was in the transfer portal, Caitlyn offered her advice about her own experience the year prior, as well as telling her about her experience at Purdue, but she wanted her to make her own decision for the future of her basketball career.

But Caitlyn was still excited when Alaina made her decision. Being five years apart and barely missing each other on their high school teams, this season will be the first time the sisters will actually be on the same team.

“It’s been kind of different for both of us,” Caitlyn said. “We were out there, and I was like, 'Oh, shoot, Alaina’s here with me.’ We’re not playing in the driveway, we’re actually on the same team. But I think we've gotten used to it, and it's really nice that you kind of just have that person that you can go to.”

Both Alaina and McKenna’s transitions were made easier by their older sisters — they had someone built in to help show them around campus and explain the expectations of Big Ten women’s basketball.

“It’s kind of funny, because I forgot how much I love to learn from her,” Alaina Harper said. “To be able to come back four years later and do it all over again is really special.”

Mila and Amiyah Reynolds

For Mila and Amiyah Reynolds, though, they are figuring it out together.

These sisters, who are just one year apart, are essentially Indiana high school girls basketball royalty. They attended South Bend Washington High School together, winning the 2022 3A girls championship. Mila is second all-time in scoring at Washington behind WNBA player Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Amiyah is second all-time in assists with 564.

Mila graduated from Washington in 2022 and committed to Maryland, another Big Ten school. But her experience with the Terrapins was defined by injuries, as she played just 23 games with nagging tendonitis in her knees, as well as headaches and sprained ankles and wrists.

After her freshman year, she wanted a fresh start closer to home.

“It was just minor stuff that just kept popping up,” Mila Reynolds said. “And that just started the downhill path that I went down, but it was just like a combination of things. I just wanted to be closer to my family. I was missing them constantly.”

Amiyah Reynolds was also committed to Maryland with plans to join forces with her sister once again. After Mila left the Terrapins, though, Amiyah made the same decision, decommitting from the Big Ten school.

“It was always a dream to play with each other,” Mila Reynolds said. “Not just in high school, but in college, too. With me being in Maryland, I gave her the spiel of just what was going on, and that I didn’t think Maryland would be the best place for us.”

The Reynolds sisters made a joint decision to go to Purdue instead — a school close to home that originally recruited both of them. They made their announcement on X at the same time in April, securing two more players for Gearlds in 2023.

The sisters will have to wait a little bit longer to officially get on the court together, though. While Mila Reynolds is back to full strength after her injuries at Maryland, Amiyah Reynolds is out for the season with an ACL tear she suffered in February in the final regular-season game of her high school career. Amiyah Reynolds will redshirt this year while she recovers from her ACL tear.

But next year, Amiyah will get back on the court. A year after that, in the 2025-26 season, Purdue will see another first — three sisters on one team.

Kira Reynolds, who is going into her junior season at South Bend Washington, committed to Purdue in October to join her sisters in West Lafayette. The three sisters will have one season to play together at Purdue.

“Playing with all three sisters, I’m super excited,” Mila Reynolds said. “I can’t wait. I know I’ll only get one year with Kira, but I’m planning on making that year the best.”

Sister Act

How Purdue's three sets of sisters are performing this season:

>>Madison Layden: 10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 46.8% on 3s

>>McKenna Layden: 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg

>> Caitlyn Harper: 9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 53.9 FG%

>> Alaina Harper: .7 ppg, .8 rpg

>> Mila Reynolds: 2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg

>> Amiyah Reynolds: Red shirting due to knee injury

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue women's basketball has three sets of sisters on roster