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OUR COVER
Home Court Advantage Katie Douglas' return to Indianapolis scores major points for the Indiana Fever
by Laura Kruty
Standing alone on the sidelines of Finish Line Court in Conseco Fieldhouse, Katie Douglas' eyes dart back and forth as she silently watches her Indiana Fever teammates whiz by during a practice scrimmage game. Then the two-time WNBA All-Star takes to the glossy floor of the court, darting through the free throw lane for a nearly uncontested lay-up. She fights through a screen, gets open and deposits the orange-and-white WNBA ball cleanly through the net. She deftly dishes the ball off to a teammate for another easy lay-up. Ever since her storied years at Perry Meridian High School and Purdue University, the award-winning hoopster has let her game do the talking. And it's paid off, cementing her spot as a bona fide WNBA star. After seven years in the league, Douglas now plays for the Fever thanks to a February trade. For her, it's a move that allows her to play once again in front of her hometown fans. For the Fever, Douglas' versatility in playing multiple positions, scoring ability and defensive prowess may just be the final pieces of the puzzle that bring a WNBA championship to Indianapolis. Douglas may even have the opportunity to showcase her skills on a worldwide platform by playing on the U.S. Olympic team in August. "It's just an honor to even be in the pool and be recognized," she says. "The honor of being on the team would be overwhelming."
The tip-off Born May 7, 1979, to Ken and Karen Douglas, Kathryn Elizabeth Douglas grew up the youngest of four children on Indianapolis' south side. Typical of many Hoosier families growing up in a basketball-crazed state, the Douglas clan had a basketball goal in their driveway. "I had two older brothers (Brian and Scott), and I would just go out and shoot hoops with them," Douglas says. Kim Rastrelli, Douglas' older sister, says there weren't many girls in the neighborhood with whom Katie could play. "I always remember her tagging after the boys," Rastrelli says. "If someone asked me if I had three brothers, I would have said 'yes.'" Douglas first tasted organized basketball in first grade when she played on a Catholic Youth Organization team through her parish, St. Barnabas. By the time she entered middle school, Douglas says, people whispered, "This girl's got a lot of talent." "I could tell at practices, coaches would always be on me, pushing me to another level, more so than the other girls and my friends," she says. "I was asking, 'Why are you always on me?' But I think they were always just trying to make me better, trying to push me and make me become a better player." Douglas was a four-year varsity team member at Perry Meridian High School, one of two freshmen to make varsity. "My freshman year, my main goal was to get a college scholarship," she says. By the end of her senior year, Douglas averaged nearly 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals per game. It didn't go unnoticed. The Indianapolis Star-News named her Player of the Year. She was named to the Indiana All-Star team and was a first-team all-state selection. Parade magazine named her a third-team All-American. She also was runner-up Miss Basketball, second to Richmond High School's Lisa Shepherd, one of Douglas' friends and former AAU teammates.
A change of plans Like many teenagers, Douglas envisioned attending college far away from home, maybe in Florida, Tennessee or on the West Coast. A family tragedy, however, put those plans on permanent hold. As she entered her senior year of high school, Douglas' mother revealed what she calls "the biggest blow at that time": Ken Douglas was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. "That shifted my mentality and shifted my priorities and thinking as far as colleges," she says. "They didn't want me to base my decision on my father's illness, but at the same time, I didn't think I could honestly leave my family and go far away." In November of her junior year at Perry Meridian, Douglas committed to Purdue University. It was an easy choice. "I made one official visit to Purdue and put it at the top of the list," she says. "I knew in my heart of hearts that it was where I needed to be because it was a great college program, but at the same time, it was close enough that I could have my family if need be." Ken Douglas passed away in June 1997, shortly after Katie graduated from Perry Meridian.
Off to a good start Douglas didn't have much time to grieve the loss of her father. In the fall of 1997, she began her career in West Lafayette, playing in each of 33 games her freshman year, averaging 8.6 points, the third highest on the team. Her efforts landed her a spot on the Big Ten Coaches' All-Freshman team. "It was a really good year that we had," she says. "We were one game away from making it to the Final Four that year, which was a huge accomplishment." Douglas didn't help bring a national title to West Lafayette her first year. But before her sophomore season started, the team knew head coach Carolyn Peck had accepted a job with the WNBA's now-defunct Orlando Miracle. Douglas says that gave the team extra motivation. "We knew that we only had one year with this team," she says, taking a sip of a tall skinny cafˇ latte with two Splendas from Starbucks. "We had Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs as our seniors, who were obviously huge pieces to that team. We just really wanted to leave a mark." That's exactly what they did, posting a 34-1 record, winning 32 consecutive games and ultimately earning the school's first national championship in women's basketball. Douglas was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team. "It was pretty unbelievable," Douglas says. "It was just an amazing accomplishment at the end to be a national champion and to be standing there holding that trophy."
Playing through pain Still on top of the world, Douglas was dealt another crushing blow, this time affecting one of her teammates. Nearly four months after winning the national title, Tiffany Young, who was to be a senior, was killed by a drunken driver in Gary. "That was totally unexpected," Douglas says. "We were out on the basketball court one night up in West Lafayette, just playing basketball outside in the park, and somebody came and told me. I just crumpled to the floor. "It kind of put things in perspective." Shortly before Douglas returned to Purdue for her junior year, her mom called a family meeting. Thinking it was simply a gathering before she headed off to school, Douglas says she really didn't think anything of it. At the meeting, however, her mother broke the news that she was diagnosed with breast cancer one month after Douglas' father passed away. Feeling like her family couldn't handle another trauma, Douglas says her mother chose to do radiation in secret. "Doctors thought they could stop it and cure it with radiation," Douglas says. "Two years later, she went back, and they needed to be more aggressive. She was about to embark on the fight of her life and start chemotherapy. "At that time, when she called the meeting, I couldn't even speak," Douglas continues. "You don't expect that. Of course, my thought is, I'm not going to school. I can't do it. I'm not going to go. I'm going to stay here and take care of my mom." Douglas says her mom was adamant about her return to school. Knowing her brothers and sister were nearby made it easier to go back, but still, "the thought of me being the only one away was definitely difficult," she says. Find the complete article in this month's Indianapolis Woman. Click here to subscribe. |
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