Family ties
Parents passed athleticism to all-Suburban pick Ellerson
Given her family background, it is hardly surprising to find Katie Ellerson successful in athletics.
Her father, Gary, played with the University of Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers and is now one of the more popular figures in local sports talk radio and television.
Her stepmother, Marti, was a swimmer who competed at Wisconsin as well.
Katie is now a standout in both basketball and volleyball at Muskego High School and is one of the main reasons that the Warriors enjoyed fine seasons in both sports.
Her work at outside hitter helped the volleyball team to the Southeast Conference crown and a berth in the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament, also earning her first-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-state honors.
She then turned her attention to basketball, and her play at forward propelled the Warriors to another SEC championship with a 16-0 mark. She averaged 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots, leading Muskego in all categories.
These accomplishments put her on the CNI All-Suburban Team for the 2008-09 season.
"Things went better than I expected," Ellerson said. "I made a lot of progress and I was more confident this year. People depended on me to do things and I felt the whole team was behind me."
What made her so tough to defend was that she had both the ability to drive to the basket for points and fouls as well as hit from outside, as she connected on 15 shots from 3-point range.
"I was working on my outside shot before the season," Ellerson said.
First-year head coach Brian Hirtz said, "She is a versatile scorer, inside and out, and just an outstanding overall player."
Ellerson came into this season with plenty of experience in the game. "I've been playing (basketball) since I could walk," she smiled. "I played at the 'Y' when I was in kindergarten, and my father coached me all the way through eighth grade."
She made her mark on the Muskego varsity in her sophomore season, averaging 7.9 points for a team that nearly made it to state.
She nearly doubled those stats as a junior as the Warriors posted the best season in school history at 21-2. "No one expected us to be that good," she said. "We had great chemistry and we also had people come off the bench at important times and get the job done."
She will return next season, along with other key players, as Muskego will try for another SEC title and chase that elusive state berth.
John Rech can be reached at (262) 446-6610. Read his blog at MuskegoNOW.com.
QUANTUM LEAP
Muskego junior Katie Ellerson nearly doubled (and in one case tripled) her offensive statistics from her sophomore season. Here are some numbers:
SOPHOMORE
field goals made, 60
3-point goals, six
free throws made, 44
points, 182
average, 7.9 points
JUNIOR
field goals made, 105
3-point goals, 18
free throws made, 77
points, 358
average, 15.6
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Mehryn Kraker of West Allis Central reached a personal milestone Jan. 24 against Wauwatosa East when she cleared 1,000 points for her career, leading her squad with 25 points. She was the leading scorer again Jan. 27 with 16, while teammate Claire Hankins played the hero by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs an upset win over Sussex Hamilton. Central has played a brutal schedule this year, and it's paying off to the tune of four straight wins.
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