When spectators at Nottingham High girls’ basketball games are watching the Wilke twins in action, many probably aren’t aware of an interesting fact.
They aren’t just twins. They are half of a set of senior quadruplets that are all contributing to the Northstar community.
Matthew is a senior on the wrestling team and Austin is in the school band, while Emma and Kaitlin will form the Northstars starting backcourt this winter after teaming on the soccer team in the fall.
“We’re very busy but we have a nice bond,” Kaitlin said. “Since we started driving, my mom (Ann) has gotten a little break but before that she was driving everybody around and it was crazy.”
Indeed, as a single mom, Ann Wilke was responsible for getting five kids all over the place (older brother Nick played soccer at Notre Dame). The quads now share two cars and they have group chats to decide who gets the vehicles according to the events. Prior to that, however…
“Getting all of the kids to their practices and activities was definitely a challenge when they were younger,” Ann said. “Sometimes, I would have to be in two or four places at once. I would drive back and forth between their different activities doing pickups and drop offs.
“Fortunately, I have a very close village of family and friends that have helped me over the years with getting all of my kids to their various practices. I have a few friends that my girls, especially, consider “second moms.”
Northstars coach Kyle James is happy for Ann’s Uber service during those pre-driving years, as Emma was the team’s leading scorer last season with a 13.1 scoring average, and Katie will take over as the fulltime point guard this season.
“Emma is great at always coming to practice ready to go,” James said. “She’s been pushing herself. She knows what she needs to work on. She’ll come in during the off-season. Sometimes she’ll be the only one to reach out to me in the summertime and say, ‘Hey let’s get this work in.’ That’s a testament to her character and that’s how she’s progressed over the years.
“This year she’s working on ball handling a little, but she has her shot, she keeps improving and that’s all you can ask for.”
During the previous two seasons, Maddox Casiano usually set Emma up for her points. This year, it will be her sister’s responsibility.
“Katie’s trying to be in that role that Maddox had last year, and she’ll try and take some of the scoring pressure off her too,” James said. “She scores less than Emma. This year she’ll be the one facilitating everything and trying to take that ball-handling out of other people’s hands.
“They’re both great kids. They both have a lot to offer. Emma is known as the basketball player, but they’ve done every sport together except in spring when Katie does track and Emma does lacrosse.”
Emma will be the one opposing teams focus on this season, at least in the early going. She was second on the team in scoring with a 7.3 average as a sophomore, and has been a perimeter threat all three years. She had 13 3-pointers as a freshman and led the Stars with 17 as a junior and 18 last year.
“I want to hopefully get about 15 (points) a game,” Emma said. “Maybe shoot my three-pointers better than I did last year. I like to shoot but it depends on what the defense is doing. I’ll do either; I’ll drive to the basket but I like shooting.”
James noted that Emma can also find open teammates for assists when necessary, and feels her offense overshadows her defense.
“She’s kind of underrated in that she will take the lead and try to defend the other team’s best player to start the game and end the game in certain situations,” the coach said.
And when it comes to her scoring, James added that “she says she likes shooting but if you look at her, she loves scoring in transition and we’re working on her to get that pump fake. She’s a pure shooter from outside and if she has the open lane she’ll take it in.”
Emma is excited to know that her lifelong friend will be running the offense.
“Katie’s always been a point guard,” she said. “In middle school she was the point guard and I was the shooting guard. She does all that, and she’s scrappy on defense; she’s really scrappy getting the rebounds, taking charges, trying to get the ball from the other team. She does all the work behind the scenes.”
The chemistry between the two certainly helps, both on the soccer field and basketball court.
“We have a really good bond,” Katie said. “We’ve been playing so many sports since we were young. Every sport we’ve played, we’ve been playing together. We always know where each other will be.”
It all started back in Our Lady of Sorrows, and could continue into next year as the sisters have had conversations with Mercer County Community College coach Bob Fusik.
“Emma, Katie and (Stars teammate) Gabby Nobile have played basketball together since second grade through the CYO league,” Ann said. “Being sisters, they are so in tune with each other. They anticipate each other’s next move, and can communicate without even talking. At home, they watch WNBA games together, run together, play basketball in the driveway together, and even watch film together. They have a built-in best friend with each other.”
Emma likes the fact that she and her sister are able to bounce suggestions off of each other.
“We go on runs together, we do one-on-one in the driveway, we watch film together, trying to see each other’s perspective on everything,” she said. “We see what we did well in the game, what we did wrong in the game. So it’s not just our own perspective.”
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As for their mom’s perspective, Ann can take justifiable pride in knowing that she raised four children of the same age who have become stellar students and strong contributors to the Stars Galaxy. She feels the school has helped in that.
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Nottingham community,” Ann said. “It is truly a family. The teachers, coaches, and administrators are so friendly and helpful. Matt, Emma, Katie, and Austin are all involved in something at Nottingham. From sports to band to National Honor Society, the quads have really made the most of their time at Nottingham.
“It is so nice to see the girls play basketball with some of their very best friends. The team really has formed a strong bond over the past four years.”
Almost as strong as the bond that runs through the Wilke household.
Emma and Katie Wilke — two of four quadruplets who are students at Nottingham — are the starting backcourt for the Northstars this season. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
