The school is proud of their former student and basketball prodigy. It seems like just a couple of years ago that I was watching Katie play high school games. The Hornets had a tremendous following during her senior year, when they were crowned 3A state champions.
She was named Miss Basketball and played in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American Game and was the MVP in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Katie attended Purdue and averaged almost 15 points per game while pulling down about four rebounds and dishing out three assists per contest. She won several honors, and the team went 103-30 during her time there.
I remember surprising Katie during Christmas break one season when the Boilermakers were playing the University of Texas in Austin. Since my wife, Lyn, and I were going to be in the Lone Star State to visit family and friends, six of us had planned to attend the game. I had purchased six orange Beech Grove T-shirts for us to wear, and you should have seen the surprised look on Katie’s face when she saw me courtside. She was really shocked to see five more fans clad in orange shirts in the balcony.
Katie was drafted by the WNBA’s Seattle Storm in 2007 and played for several years. It was always fun to attend an Indiana Fever game when Seattle was in town. She also played for several countries overseas.
Named the Knights’ coach in July 2013, she wasted no time in building her program. I was excited to learn that she was going to coach in our city and could hardly wait for the season to tip off. I attended a few games and was impressed to see that Marian’s play mirrored the way that Katie had played throughout her career.
The Knights, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics team that competes in the Crossroads Conference, finished with a 16-16 record. I believe there were only one or two seniors on the team. It looked to me like a wonderful first season, and I’m sure everyone at Marian was anxious for the 2014-15 campaign to arrive.
Well, the team is undefeated at home and 14-2 after losing to No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan 75-61 on Saturday. I attended Marian’s game against Indiana Tech, and the Knights looked impressive in their 91-50 win. Katie’s team played to a high level, and regardless of the five players on the court, the team played wonderful.
The team just returned from South Florida, where it won a two- game classic. The Knights’ upcoming home games are against Bethel at 1 p.m. Saturday, Spring Arbor at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, and Huntington at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. College athletes are amazing. I can’t imagine practicing and playing games while keeping up a full academic schedule.
Now that I have hopefully piqued your interest in Marian’s team, here’s a challenge: How about if we attend the next three home games. Let’s fill some seats and support Katie’s team. I’m sure you will have a blast. This exciting team has scored more 100 points three times this season.
Make some plans.