Stanford all about Lopez boys; twins more than just hoops

ANAHIEM, Calif. -- It's easy to define Stanford by its 7-foot sophomore twin towers, Brook and Robin Lopez. Where would the Cardinal, seeded third in the South Region entering Saturday's second-round game against sixth-seeded Marquette, be without the slam-dunking, shot-blocking terrors?

But any suggestion that basketball defines the biggest men on campus gets thrown back like so many shots at the Cardinal basket.

Brook Lopez is more offensively polished than twin brother Robin and is a better pro prospect right now. (Getty Images)

They're aficionados of Walt Disney. For pleasure they create their own comic book characters. They have been active participants in theatrical productions at school and are well aware that the roots of a Cinderalla story trace back beyond March Madness and predate Western European history. Basketball questions might bore them, but ask about the artistic merits of The Simpsons and Family Guy, and they'll jump into the debate with all the tenacity of a third-year law student.

"I've been able to do great things with my height," said Robin Lopez, who is dating Stanford's most famous student, golfer Michelle Wie, a relationship they both have tried to keep quiet.

"The one negative is that everybody perceives you as a basketball player. I don't enjoy being labeled a basketball player."

That was something their mother set out to ensure wouldn't happen at an early age. A swimmer who reached the United States Olympic trials while she was majoring in German at Stanford in the late '60s, Deborah Ledford led by example for her four boys -- Alex, who played basketball at Washington and Santa Clara a decade ago, Chris, Brook and Robin. Their father, Heriberto Lopez, played baseball for Cuba in the Pan-American Games during the 1960s, but the twins haven't seen him since he left home when they were five years old.

When the boys were young, Ledford's mother -- as she did for all her grandchildren -- presented Brook and Robin with an art box each Christmas. It contained paper, scissors, markers, chalk, pencils, paint and brushes.

"You name it," said Ledford, who has a sister who is an architect and a brother who is a city planner and dabbles in painting. Their late grandmother also showered them with books, and encouraged them as they built a collection of Disney figures.

"It's family values," Ledford said. "We have athletes, yeah, but we have artists, teachers, mathematicians. They're simply an extension of that. I just tried to do what my parents did with us -- give us opportunities and encouragement."

Though they are identical twins, Ledford encouraged them to forge their own identity -- something she recalls them having from an early age. She remembers them as 2-year-olds, Brook bouncing a basketball while Robin sat nearby drawing pictures.

"Brook's always been the extrovert, more fiery," Ledford said. "Robin's more of the introvert -- you know, still waters run deep. Robin's a really nice person, no need to be loud. His hair reflects his individuality. When they were younger, it was time to go to the barber and he said, 'No, I don't want to cut my hair.' My feeling was it's his head. That's one reflection of his individuality. They share a lot of common interests, but they're two different personalities."

Their teammates agree.

"Everything is real serious with Robin off the court," guard Anthony Goods said. "He's a real competitor. Brook, he's kind of laid back, has a little more fun. But you know ..."