Stanford all about Lopez boys; twins more than just hoops

"Robin also loves to sing off the court," interjected forward Taj Finger.

"Robin loves to sing," Goods continued. "Brook loves to tell Robin to shut up."

And what of the singing?

"It's an acquired taste," Goods said.

When Brook was in high school, he sang a Britney Spears song to audition for a part in Westside Story.

In an art class, he slathered his forearm in red paint, then slammed down the arm of a paper cutter and screamed, scaring the teacher half to death.

"People say I'm the more outgoing twin," he said with a grin. "The evil one."

Robin's bent is toward drawing. He lamented earlier this week that he had forgotten to bring his sketch pad with him. He finds it amusing that people occasionally mention his quasi-dreadlocked hair looks like Sideshow Bob, the scheming sidekick of Krusty the Clown, one of his favorite characters on The Simpsons.

"I take it as a compliment," Robin said. "I like him as a villain."

Robin's latest artistic inspiration came last summer when the Cardinal traveled to Italy for a series of exhibitions. Among the sights the team visited was the Sistine Chapel, where Robin was captivated by Michelangelo's iconic ceiling mural and by his interpretation of The Last Judgement.

"This is going to sound stupid, but I was amazed at the size of it," Robin said. "The level of detail was amazing, of course. It was really amazing how everything connects.

"There will be something way over here," he added, leaning to his left and gesturing with his hand, then turning to his right. "And somebody's making eye contact with somebody way over there."

Last fall, he began a 5-foot by 7-foot pencil and ink piece, taking the characters he and Brook created to tell the story of the Last Judgement and Rodin's Gates of Hell, a sculpture that sits on the Stanford campus. It's Robin's desire to work as an animator when his basketball career is done, while Brook is interested in writing screenplays.

The twins seem to relish collaborating on the court, too.

"I remember in high school, I used to just funnel guys to Robin," Brook said. "I know I can just go at my guy and really get after him and he's back there."

Those days might be nearing an end. They shared a bedroom until high school, and now live in separate dorm rooms. Soon, they might be living in separate cities. Brook, a highly polished offensive player, is considered a top five pick and briefly flirted with leaving Stanford after last season, then was suspended for the first nine games of the season for slacking off academically. Meanwhile, Robin is a better defender whose stock has been rising lately, some expecting him to go late in the first round if he were to leave early.

The brothers say they haven't discussed it, or even thought about it.

Now, the focus is on basketball, they say. So much so that they have passed on going to Disneyland, which is a long 3-point shot from their hotel. It's a sojourn they have made too many times to count.

"When I was little, it seemed like there were no boundaries to the park -- it seemed like it went on and on forever," Robin said. "It really blurred the line between what was real and what was fantasy."

Instead, they'll return to visit in April, knowing just how far they have carried the Cardinal, and whether they can flout convention one more time.