For UW-Whitewater sophomore Kaitlyn Thill, growing up as the youngest of six basketball-playing sisters meant plenty of long car rides to various gyms around Wisconsin.
Thill is a self-described “true point guard,” and prides herself on being a selfless teammate.

“A point guard has to know where everyone is on the court in order to find the open player to score and just be a leader,” Thill said. “The point guard is like a quarterback on the basketball floor.”

Thill joked that she has been a point guard her whole life because she is short.

On a more serious note, Thill said playing point guard so much throughout her basketball career is the biggest reason she has developed such a clear understanding of the position.

Thill’s height is not stopping her from following in the footsteps of her older sister, Trisha, who was a record-setting player for the ’Hawks from 2004-2008.

The aspect of basketball where the Thill sisters excel is on defense. In basketball, it is difficult for a player to stand out defensively, but both Trisha and Kaitlyn are in the record book for steals.

Trisha holds the all-time record for steals in a career at UW-Whitewater with 269 in four years. Kaitlyn is well on her way to breaking her sister’s record.

Kaitlyn is averaging four steals per game, and already has racked up 184 steals with at least seven games left in her sophomore season. Kaitlyn already broke the single-season steals record her freshman year with 112 steals.

“I never really look at statistics, but now that I know my sister has the record, I’m definitely going to have my eye on catching her,” Thill said.

Thill has lived in Ozaukee, Wis., her entire life and was coached by her dad throughout her youth.

“My dad made basketball really fun, especially the AAU circuit,” Thill said. “Our whole team and I loved traveling around with him.”

Now that Kaitlyn is on the team and Trisha is graduated, the Thill family has gone through somewhat of a role reversal.

“The only reason I would miss Trisha’s games would be if I had a game,” Thill said. “Now, Trisha comes to most of my games, and my parents are almost always in the stands too. My whole family is so supportive of each other.”

Thill said the ’Hawks’ great team defense has been the most important aspect of the team’s recent success. She has helped the team win 13 of their last 14 games and rise in the WIAC standings since their 1-3 conference start.

Tonight, Thill and the ’Hawks travel north to play UW-Oshkosh. A win against the Titans would solidify the ’Hawks’ fourth place spot in the conference and could push the team into third.