Growing up, Luke '25 and Gabe Proctor '26 did the usual things brothers do: They played basketball, they fought, they made up and, after bruises and feelings had healed, they played more basketball.

Over time, the competitiveness between brothers, now teammates on Guilford College’s men’s basketball team, gave way to another emotion: Love.

On Thursday evening, Guilford will play in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men’s National Basketball Tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind.

In many ways the brothers are not particularly like each other. Gabe’s the better shooter, Luke’s the better defender. But they share the same love for the game, the same passion for winning and are ready to go after Hampden-Sydney College, the nation’s top-ranked team, just as they went at each other's throats in Gabe’s bedroom growing up in Apex, N.C.

That’s where the miniature basketball net was installed on the back of the door. With little room to maneuver around the defender and no parents to officiate, things frequently escalated. “Let’s just say it got physical,” Gabe says.

His older brother nods and smiles. “Very quickly,” he adds.

When the Proctor family moved to a bigger house, one with a basketball court out back, the rivalry only heated up. “We had to put a stop to one-on-one games,” says Mike Proctor, Luke and Gabe’s dad. “And when other kids from the neighborhood came over to play, they had to play on the same team.”  

Those days of sibling rivalry, although not necessarily over, are now confined to off-the-court competition. Now they play on the same team. They pass to each other, cheer for each other, hurt for each other. In a true act of brotherly love, they want to win the NCAA title for their team and each other.

Throughout the season, leading scorer Tyler Dearman '23 and leading rebounder Julius Burch '23 have been credited with much of 26-4 Guilford’s success, and they’ve certainly earned it. And the Proctor brothers have quietly contributed to that success, too.

Luke is stifling on defense and has been just as impressive on offense. There is no three-pointer he will shy away from and he’s just as skilled penetrating the lane and floating shots over taller defenders.

In Saturday’s 50-48 win over Christopher Newport at Ragan-Brown Fieldhouse, where points were precious, Luke was perfect from the field (4-4) and scored 11 points.

Gabe comes off the bench and is averaging 7.8 points per game. When the two of them are in the game it’s like they are in the backyard in Apex, so instinctual are they of the other’s court presence.

“I wouldn’t say I have eyes in the back of my head,” says Luke, “but we’ve been playing so long I know where he is on the court.”

The feeling is mutual. Earlier this year in a game against Washington and Lee, Gabe exploded into the lane and drew defenders before he kicked the ball out to Luke on the wing who buried the three pointer.

Coach Tom Palombo waited until Gabe ran past him to get on defense. “That’s just how you drew it up in the backyard, isn’t it?” he told Gabe.

“I looked over at Coach and he was smiling,” says Gabe. “It was cool he realized that.”

Palombo says the connection Luke and Gabe have on the court is special. “You can’t play basketball all those years together and not know what the other’s going to do or where they’re going to be,” he says. “They’re great to coach and fun to watch.”

One reason Luke chose to attend Guilford was because it was just far enough away from Apex, where his family lives, but close enough that he could drive home to catch Gabe’s last year playing basketball at Apex Friendship High School.

“That’s just the way we are,” says Luke. “Our family’s really close. We do almost everything together.”

When it was Gabe’s turn to decide where to attend college, it wasn’t much of a decision. He’d spent a year watching his big brother at Guilford. More important, he’d seen him interact with the coaching staff during practices.

“Just the way Coach P treated Luke and the other players, it was something that really stuck with me,” says Gabe. “He sees you as more than a player. He really showed an interest in what Luke was doing that had nothing to do with basketball.”

Both Proctors agree that Thursday’s game against Hampden-Sydney will be the biggest they’ve ever played in. Even bigger than the games in Gabe’s bedroom and the family’s backyard. A win would earn them one more game this season, Saturday afternoon in the championship game.

“That’s something we’ve both always dreamed about playing in a game like that,” says Gabe. “I'd love it for Luke because I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get where he is. That would make me so happy.”

Luke listens to what Gabe is saying. He is smiling and nodding like brothers do, who play the same game and think the same way. He waits until Gabe is finished before pointing at him. “Same with me,” he says.