BUTLER TWP — There's just no telling the Stutz twins apart.

Butler County Community College basketball coach Dick Hartung doesn't even bother to try.

“I don't waste time with names,” he said. “One is No. 33 and the other is No. 32. I know No. 33 is the one who has the more points. That's how I tell them apart.”

Joel Stutz is No. 33. Jace Stutz is No. 32.

The Butler graduates were strong role players as seniors on the Golden Tornado team that reached the WPIAL finals two years ago. Now they're standout players in their second year at BC3.

Joel is averaging 29.6 points per game for the Pioneers, ranking second in all of NJCAA Div. III in that category. He also ranked among the nation's best with 54 3-pointers through the season's first 10 games.

Jace was moved to point guard this season. He is the Pioneers' second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game and has drained 22 treys. He also averages 8.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest, leading the team in both categories.

Joel, by the way, is second on the team with 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

“I never played point guard in my life before this year,” Jace Stutz said. “Coach asked me to switch over and it's good for the team, do I did it.

“I'm pretty comfortable with it now. Joel is pretty helpful when I bring the ball up the floor because he deflects a lot of the attention away from me.”

Hartung said his team had trouble bringing the ball up the floor last year.

“This year, we haven't had that problem,” the coach said. “If you can get the ball up the floor, you have a chance to win. When you can shoot the ball like we can ... We can beat you.

“We don't have any big guys. We run a bunch of guards out there. We have to run. That's our best chance to win.”

The Pioneers dropped eight of their first 11 games, prinarily playing against teams from higher divisions. Now they are settling into league play against their own kind.

“We still have the mind-set we can win every game we play,” Joel Stutz said.

The Stutz brothers practice as hard as they play — often times against each other.

“I've never coached twins before and I've never seen anything like these two guys,” Hartung said. “They arrive together for practice. They go at each other hard — and I mean, hard — on the floor. Then they walk out of here together.

“It's rare that you see two role players from high school move up to the next level and become star players. These two guys aren't very big. They're not real strong or very fast. But they've got the basketball IQ, they know where each other is gonna be and they just get the job done.”

And they're not lacking for confidence.

“I thought we could come here and do well,” Joel said. “I would never have guessed I'd be among the top scorers in the country, but we do shoot the ball a lot. That's just the way our offense is.”

The pair have been playing basketball together since grade school.

“We always know where each other is on the court. That's a big advantage,” Jace said.

The officials can't always say the same.

“There's been times when one gets fouled and I put the other on the line, yeah, we do stuff like that,” Hartung said, laughing. “If that means I'm going to hell, so be it.”

Joel Stutz has 938 career points thus far. He had 33 points Monday night against Penn Highlands. Bryant Lewandowski holds the BC3 men's basketball scoring record of 1,303 points. Austin Miller scored 1,159 with the Pioneers.

“The way Joel can go off, his final numbers are going to be up there,” Hartung said.

Butler basketball coach Matt Clement has not forgotten about the Stutz twins. In fact, the annual heart award he presents at the team banquet — given for characteristics like leadership and attitude — was renamed the Stutz Award last year.

“Those two have meant so much to our program,” Clement said. “It was a way to convey and recognize that.

“They just enjoy playing basketball, competition and winning. They overcome things through just plain hard work. Jace learned to play all five positions for us when he was here so it would buy him another three minutes on the floor. That's how badly these guys want to play.”

The question is whether the two sophomores will continue to play college ball after this year.

“I'd love to keep playing. We have't really figured that out yet,” Joel said.

“Haven't given it much thought,” Jace said, shrugging.

Hartung has.

“These guys could play Division III ball somewhere, maybe higher in the right situation,” Hartung said. “If a school takes one, though, it's taking the other one.

“They are a package deal, guaranteed.”