Most people are surprised to learn that Utah basketball player Britton Johnsen has a twin brother. They know about his older brother, Jeff, who is 17 months older and who played four years for the Ute team. But to think there's another 6-foot-9-inch skinny redhead like Britton out there is hard to imagine.
The truth is, Britton's twin, Brandon, hardly looks like him at all. Brandon is considerably shorter, at 6-1, and has brown hair rather than Britton's red hair. Obviously, they're fraternal, not identical twins.
"People have a hard time believing we're twins," says Brandon. "It's like, what happened to YOU?"
Brandon has never been in the limelight like his brothers, but he doesn't seem bothered by it in the least. He grew up playing ball with his brothers and was a comparable athlete until he was involved in a serious accident while in junior high school.
"He's probably my No. 1 fan," said Britton. "There's not an ounce of jealousy in his body. He's always supported me in everything I do, and I've tried to support him."
Brandon agrees he's not envious of all the attention his brothers have received.
"I've never got caught up in that attitude," said Brandon, who can be found in Section A, Row 10, cheering on his brother at Utah games.
"It's just the way it is. They are blessed to be so talented in basketball. I got blessed with the good looks," he says with a laugh.
Growing up in Murray as the fifth (Britton is older by an hour) and sixth children of Fred and Karen Johnsen, the two brothers did everything together. They shared a room for the first 19 years of their lives until they each went on LDS missions — Britton to Houston, Texas, and Brandon to Calgary, Canada.
While Britton was always slightly taller, on the basketball court, they were equals and competed frequently in some ferocious one-on-one games. Brandon recalls how they'd play marathon games to 110 with the first one to win 20 games getting treated at McDonald's.
(An interesting sidenote is that the Johnsens didn't even have a hoop on their sloped driveway, meaning the Johnsen boys always played at their neighbors' houses. "The joke was that we broke every rim on our street," said Brandon.)
So how did those brotherly games turn out?
"He used to beat me one-on-one all the time," says Britton.
"I haven't let him forget that," adds Brandon.
A significant change in their lives happened as the nine Johnsens were returning late at night from a trip to Jackson, Wyo.
While driving in inclement weather near Kemmerer, the family van ran straight into a herd of cattle that had broken through a fence and was in the middle of the road. The van rolled after hitting the animals, and Brandon, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, took the brunt of the collision.
His right foot was shattered, his pelvis was knocked out of socket and there was fear that he might be paralyzed as he was taken away to the hospital in Salt Lake City. Ironically, he was the only one wearing a seat belt and the only person seriously hurt, although Brandon credits the seat belt for saving his life. Britton had been lying down in the back and was OK.
"It just happened to be my turn to sit in front," recalls Brandon, who endured several surgeries to have pins, screws and plates inserted in his injured leg. As a result, he wasn't able to play any sports for more than a year.
"I was kind of naive. I thought I'd be back playing soon after that. I didn't realize the significance of the injury," said Brandon, who, to this day, walks with a slight limp.
"That made him a lot stronger person," says Britton. "I've never once heard him use that as an excuse."
Soon after that, Britton hit a growing spurt.
"He always had me by a little bit, but he started getting taller . . . and taller . . . and taller," said Brandon. "He just grew six inches out of nowhere. It was crazy."
While Jeff was receiving all the accolades, all-state as a sophomore and Deseret News Mr. Basketball as a junior and senior, Britton, with his new-found size, started making a name for himself. He helped lead Murray High to the state title when he was a junior and Jeff a senior, and the following year he succeeded his brother as the state's Mr. Basketball.
Brandon was good enough to become a starter as a senior at Murray, but a leg injury cut short his season. These days he plays County Rec ball on a first-place team that includes brother Jeff.
While Britton is completing his collegiate career with an eye toward professional basketball, Brandon is finishing up his degree in public relations at the U. and looking to go into business after graduation. Besides basketball, Brandon likes to play tennis and scuba dive and he's been married for 18 months, about a year longer than his twin brother.
"I'm proud of everything he does," says Brandon of his brother. "I've always looked up to him. It's been neat to see all of the attention he's received."
Britton returns the compliment.
"He never been anything but happy for me," he says. "It's amazing we've stayed so close because our lives are so different. He's the best kind of twin brother you'd ever want."
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