By Samantha Paul
@samantha_alexx
Sunday morning, Archbishop Stepinac High School (NY) rocked the Hoophall Classic and improved its season record to 13-3 with a win over Richmond Heights (IL), led by four-star class of 2026 recruits Adonis and Darius Ratliff.
The Ratliff twins bring versatility to the game, and although towering over competitors at 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-11 respectively, manage to be fluid with their length and run the court well.
Darius is a post-focused player, whose strong suits lie in working paint and finishing around the rim, a skill he says sets him apart from his brother. Adonis brings more flexibility with his shooting and ball handling outside.
Despite their different skill sets, the twins say learning to work alongside one another and having another athlete who can see the court from that seven-foot vantage point is helping to improve their game.
“Our shooting, me and him, that’s two snipers on the court,” Darius said. “We make everything easier for each other. It’s just him always pushing me, me always pushing him, and continuing to get better every day, really.”
Adonis seconded the sentiment, sharing, “I’m more versatile, dribble, shoot, and then can guard other guards. [Darius] is more of a big man so he can set me screens and we can play off each other.”
To fans, the twins’ height is their most obvious on-court advantage. Adonis admits that his size comes in handy often, allowing him to see up the court to push the ball in transition, or over defenders for better shots from the perimeter.
However, growing up in a sports-focused family, the Ratliff brothers also benefit from a high basketball IQ that has been fostered off the court from a young age.
Adonis and Darius’ father, Theo Ratliff, is an NBA All-Star and played 16 years in the league. First drafted to the Detroit Pistons in 1995, the 6-foot-10 center played on nine teams throughout his career and was a three-time league leader in blocks.
Since hanging up his jersey, the former professional is now stepping into a supporting role in the game, cheering his sons on from the grandstands as they make their own way in the sport.
Both Darius and Adonis described their father as their first basketball inspiration. Additionally, exposure to the game at such a young age is a privilege inaccessible to most high school players. Having that professional perspective, Adonis said, has shifted his game sense.
Between the technical skills and strategic basketball knowledge, the Ratliff twins are unsurprisingly racking up Division I program offers. Adonis has received offers from Wake Forest, Duke, Syracuse, Stanford and more, while Darius has earned over 20 offers of his own, including Kansas, BYU, Ole Miss, and the University of California.
The brothers’ drive and dedication to the game were evident during Archbishop Stepinac’s Sunday Hoophall matchup, as the twins scored a combined 19 points. The twins also posted nine rebounds a piece. Darius, comfortable working under the hoop, led the team with three blocks.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Archbishop Stepinac looks to continue building momentum and remaining competitive. Adonis says the team culture of talking “smack” in practice and messing with one another on and off the court helps to build the familial bonds he believes a team requires to win a championship. Individually, his goal is to facilitate more.