Family Tradition

The 14-year-old is interested in journalism, ministry and inspirational speaking. The 17-year-old is interested in law, politics and community service.

Freshman Kaitlyn Trotter and sister Ashley, a senior, might not be two peas in a pod, but they are at the heart of the San Dimas girls’ basketball past, present and future.

Kaitlyn has the basketball world in front of her. Some say she might become a better player than her oldest sister, Chelsea, a 6-foot-3 high school All-American at Brea Olinda who is now finishing her injury-plagued career at Stanford.

Ashley’s high school days are winding down to hopes of one final playoff run before moving on to a life that doesn’t revolve around basketball, but will certainly include it at a small Christian college.

“The past four years have been years of self-discovery,” said the 5-foot-9 guard. “I’ve realized I’m not going to be Chelsea, I’m not going to be Kaitlyn. I have to make my own way and be my own person.”

Ashley’s role changed annually at San Dimas. She filled various roles as needed and always made the all-league team.

This season, she focused on assists, averaging about five a game, and rebounds (8.9) but still leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points, about six fewer than last season. San Dimas reached the Southern Section quarterfinals during her first two seasons on the varsity, but last year lost in the first round.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of chemistry,” Ashley said. “We didn’t get along, and it showed on the court.”

This year’s team is unselfish, much like its leader, but is a longshot to win a section title. There are five teams ranked among The Times’ top 25 in the 16-team Division III-A field, and San Dimas isn’t one of them.

The Saints (22-6), the second-place team in the Valle Vista League, opened the playoffs Thursday with a 73-50 wild-card victory over Duarte. Ashley had 24 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in the victory and Kaitlyn added 22 points and finished with 20 rebounds.

They will play at Orange Lutheran on Saturday in the first round.

If San Dimas has been Ashley Trotter’s team, it certainly will be Kaitlyn Trotter’s. A 6-0 forward, she averages 14.3 points and 9.1 rebounds.

A few weeks ago, matched against Pomona Ganesha standout Alexis Pope, Kaitlyn had 19 points in the first half. A pivotal moment, she said. “Going against such a great player and doing that well was pretty amazing to me.”

Two games later, she began a streak in which she scored season highs of 22, 24 and 27 points to end the regular season.

“Kaitlyn is so young, I don’t think she realizes how good she can be,” said Gary Jackson, who took over as San Dimas coach a few games into Ashley’s freshman season.

“From what I see, Kaitlyn is more a student of the game. She’s been around it for so long, she couldn’t wait to get to this point and play basketball because of the success Chelsea and Ashley had.”

It hasn’t been easy. Because of her height, Kaitlyn says she felt enormous pressure.

“People expected so much out of me because I looked older, and people expected me to be more mature,” she said. “At the same time, it was a lot easier because I had my sister helping me through the year, showing me the ropes, teaching me.”

But she is well aware of her family history.

“As a kid, I always wanted to live up to Chelsea,” Kaitlyn said of her older sister, who has undergone 10 operations on her knees and legs. “That would be the greatest thing, to be as good as her.”

During Chelsea’s four seasons at Brea, the school won three section and state championships. A high school all-American, she was the section’s Division II player of the year twice and the Division II-AA player of the year once.

“Beating Chelsea would be pretty difficult, but Kaitlyn has two good legs,” Ashley said. “She needs to toughen up and get a little stronger, but she definitely has potential.

“She can dribble, she can shoot, she has post moves, she has height. In a few years, she’ll be unstoppable.”