GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — 18 Horizon league tournament titles, 20 NCAA tournament appearances, The UW-Green Bay women’s basketball has a rich history of success.
That success is exactly what enticed Hortonville sisters Kamy and Kallie Peppler to transfer from UW-Milwaukee who finished last in the Horizon League to the first-place Phoenix.
“I'm stuck with her! Can’t get rid of me,” Kallie said of continuing to play with her sister Kamy for one more season.
“It's an awesome opportunity to be able to play with your sister,” said Kamy, who was named Wisconsin Miss Basketball in 2022. “In high school it’s one thing, but in college it’s on a completely different level."
Kamy, who will be a senior, entered the portal first and then Kallie, who is two years younger, followed suit the day after. Phoenix head coach Kayla Karius was their first call on the day they entered.
“You can just tell, I just felt so wanted when they talked to me and I just loved talking to all the coaches,” Kallie said.
“Being on the phone with them you can tell this program, the culture that they built there, is something that I want to be a part of,” Kamy said.
The sisters say the decision to transfer was difficult. Especially for Kamy who started games all three years with Milwaukee. She averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists this past season.
But she and Kallie entered the portal looking to play for a winning program and they say continuing to play together was too good to pass up.
“They’ve proven that they can win games and they’ve won a lot in the past, " Kamy said. “They've been at the top of the league ever since I've been in the Horizon League and year’s before that and I think that was a big thing – knowing that the winning culture is there and that’s something I want to be a part of is a big thing for me.”
The familiarity goes beyond each other. Both are quite familiar with some other recent transfers to UWGB and their old Hortonville head coach Celeste Ratka (Hoewisch) played with Karius at Green Bay. They say they can’t wait to play for the Phoenix coach who is entering her second season at the helm.
“She is like the most personable person,” said Kallie who averaged 3 points and 1 rebound per game with the Panthers in her freshman season. “Yeah, she’s going to get on you on the court, but she understands you and connects with you as a person too, which I love.”
“When she was talking, she’s like straightforward. Straight to the point. She knows what she wants, which I think is very important in a coach,” said Kamy.
