Oct. 19, 2011
If you see wide receiver Prentice Gill sitting in the stands during a football game, don't panic, it's actually his twin brother Robert Gill. Robert travels from Los Angeles, California to watch his brother play a few times a year. The Gills were born and raised in LA, but the last two years they have been living on opposite coasts.
"Robert goes to a community college back home where he's a point guard on the basketball team," Gill said of his brother.
Growing up Prentice and Robert played football and basketball together. Ironically, Prentice was into basketball, while Robert preferred football. It was not until high school that Prentice realized football was the sport for him. Oddly enough his brother decided to play on the basketball team, and from then on the two have exceled in their sports.
Besides sharing a passion for sports Prentice and Robert have a lot of other similar interests.
"Whenever we are out to eat I'll order my food and Robert will say `same thing' when it is his turn to order," Gill says of their similarities. "There is nothing different about the foods we like and don't like."
As for their musical interest, they both enjoy listening to rap, and even more specific artists like, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, and Drake.
The Gills have had their share of twin pranks, and twin intuition. While in high school they would often try to fool people by going to each other's classes.
"We rarely got caught, the only people who would recognize we were pretending to be each other were our close friends," said Gill. "Our close friends claim they can tell us apart even from a distance. By looking at the way we stand and walk."
Gill also recalls a time as youths when Robert had a dentist appointment and had to get a shot to numb his mouth.
"It hurt him a lot and I remember feeling a sharp pain in my gums at the same exact time. My mother was looking at me like I was crazy," laughed Gill.
There was even a time here at Old Dominion when the brothers were mistaken for one another. Robert had flown in a day before a football game and sat in the stands during a walk through on a Friday afternoon.
"I remember sitting on the sideline with my helmet on and Coach (Brian) Scott started frantically asking why I was sitting in the stands and if I was playing in the game; finally Coach Whitcomb told him he was pretty sure it was my twin brother," Gill recalled.
Even though the brothers are identical in looks and enjoy a lot of the same things, there is one difference that sets them apart. After high school Gill wanted to go to a college out of state, while his brother wanted to stay close to home.
After two years at junior college, Gill chose to come to ODU, a school as far away from home as possible. While graduation for Gill is only seven months away, he is unsure if he will go back to California or stay here on the east coast.
"I'm really trying to figure out where I want to live. After I decide that I can start thinking about whether I want to use my degree to find a job or maybe coach football," Gill says of his future plans.
One thing is certain; no matter how far away Prentice and Robert live they can rely on their twin instinct to keep them close.
Check out the next Senior Spotlight with defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron after the JMU game