Long before they were helping lead Xavier women's basketball to best stretch in program history, Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris were two teenage teammates on The Family, Inc., a travel basketball team and part of the Girls Youth Mentoring Program.

They didn't click right away.

"We couldn't really stand each other," Phillips laughed. "We were so different."

Over time, though, the two polar opposite hoopers formed a friendship that would lead to great things. It began with a run of three NCAA Tournament appearances together (Harris missed the 2008-09 season with an injury), including an Elite Eight run in 2010. The two were both drafted in the top 10 of the 2011 WNBA Draft and were inducted into the Xavier Athletics Hall of Fame Together in 2017.

On Monday, the school announced that Phillips (No. 53) and Harris (No. 11) would be the next former Musketeers to have their jersey retired.

"To have someone that you've literally grown up with, played the game of basketball with and gone from being teenagers to grown women, it's another notch in the sisterhood we have," Phillips said. "I've had a lot of teammates, and I appreciate those teammates, but something about the bond between Amber and I is really special."

Harris added: "It's a surreal feeling. I know how hard it is for this achievement to happen. Me and Ta'Shia on the court together, we really tried to build something special for Xavier."

That's exactly what the two Indianapolis natives did. In their three seasons together, Xavier went a combined 83-16 with two regular season Atlantic 10 titles, three conference tournament championships and the trio of NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by a trip to the Elite Eight in 2010.

Phillips, who helped lead Xavier to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 with Harris sidelined, was the two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and the 2009 Player of the Year. The two-time All-American is Xavier's all-time leading rebounder (1,552) and finished her collegiate career with 77 double-doubles. She's third on Xavier's all-time scoring list (1,895 points).

"Xavier is a holistic experience," Phillips said. "It's not just basketball. It's the people, the place. I was developed as a well-rounded human being and not just a basketball player."

Harris was Xavier's leading scorer in 2007 before Phillips arrived, helping lead the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament. She was a three-time first-team all-conference selection and the A-10 Player of the Year in 2010. A three-time All-American, Harris is Xavier's all-time leader in blocks and is No. 2 in program history in points (2,205) and rebounds (1,226).

Harris finished her career 12-0 in Atlantic 10 tournament games, leading Xavier to four titles.

"It means a lot," Harris said. "I worked hard throughout the years I was at Xavier and I really wanted to feel like I was somewhere I was important."

The two highlighted the 2011 WNBA Draft, when Harris was taken by the Minnesota Lynx with the fourth overall pick and Phillips went four picks later to the Atlanta Dream. Harris would go on to win two WNBA titles with the Lynx (2011, 2013).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier announces jersey retirement of 2 former basketball standouts