1,000 Point Club
Kristi Thill returned for a fifth year after ACL injury
Brian Moser
Issue date: 2/9/06 Section: Sports
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"It was hard after that because I didn't know if I was going to come back and play," Thill said. "It was tough to just watch from the bench."
Kristi came back to school for another year to finish her teaching certification, but was still on the fence about playing one more year for Lakeland.
"I didn't think basketball would fit with my tough schedule," Thill explained. "Coach Arvan wanted me to come back, and she put it into perspective for me: it would be just a few months out of my time."
Hence, Kristi came back for her fifth year to play for Lakeland with the encouragement of Coach Arvan.
"[Coach Arvan] is the greatest coach I have ever met and an all around great person," Thill said. "She is the reason I am playing basketball right now and I would do anything at anytime for her."
"I knew she was a special basketball player when I saw her play in high school," said Arvan.
Kristi chose Lakeland because of the great atmosphere and environment. "Everyone was very friendly and kind to one another," said Thill. "Also, I thought Coach Arvan was a great coach and wanted the chance to play for her."
Kristi started as a freshman, earning first team all-conference and Rookie of the Year honors. She continued her success with a second first team all conference selection. The next two years were plagued by injuries, including the season ending ACL tear.
Coming back was hard for Kristi. First of all, she didn't have time to attend some pre-season activities because of her student teaching. Also, Kristi wasn't 100 percent from her injury the season before.
"At first, I had a lot of problems," said Thill. "I wasn't as fast and wasn't able to perform like I used to. Now I'm at the level I was before."
On January 18, Kristi hit the 1,000 point mark against Marian College in the Moose and Dona Woltzen Gymnasium with 26 seconds left. She is the eighth woman basketball player in the school's history to accomplish that feat.
Kristi is the first point guard in women's basketball history at Lakeland to get 1,000 points.
"Point guards don't usually score that many points because they are in charge of managing the team," said Coach Arvan.
Also, Kristi has led the Muskies to a game in front of first place at 11-2 in the LMC and a 16-6 record overall. The point guard has used her experience and savvy as a basketball player to run the team.
"My role is to quarterback the team; I am supposed to make sure we are all on the same page offensively and defensively," explained Thill.
Kristi is a born competitor. She loves doing drills in practice where scores are kept because she likes playing to win.
Although she is serious about competing, Thill likes to keep things loose by joking around. "I like to have a lot of fun," Thill said. "I enjoy life and I try to make people around me happy and laughing."
Kristi is extremely close to her family. She was born and raised in Garden, Michigan, which is in the upper peninsula.
"Although I am about four hours away from home, my family has always done a great job at coming to my games and supporting me," Thill said. "I have three nephews who love to watch me play. They think I am the greatest thing because they would say 'My aunt plays basketball at Lakeland College the Muskies and she is number 22' in a proud voice."
After school, Kristi plans to apply for a teaching job. She has had student teaching opportunities at Grant Elementary in Sheboygan teaching second graders and in Elkhart Lake teaching sixth graders.
"The second graders were great fun because they are fun to work with," Thill explained. "I enjoyed the sixth graders because they got into the fact that I played basketball. A few girls even came to some of the games."
After this year, Kristi will be certified to teach grades one through nine. She doesn't care what grade she teaches because she enjoys teaching any of the grades.
With three games left to go in the season and the tournament coming up, Kristi will be focused on bringing back the Lake Michigan Conference Championship to Lakeland.
"I think we have a lot of heart and drive on our team," said Thill. "Put that together with great coaches and you have us sitting at the top of our conference."
"It means a lot to come back for a fifth year and play for our program," Arvan said. "She is one of the best I've ever coached."