Katie Douglas to be enshrined into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday
One of the most productive players in Purdue women's basketball history has received yet another accolade in her storied career. Former Boilermaker forward Katie Douglas will be officially enshrined into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2023 on Saturday evening.
Douglas was a standout at Perry Meridian in Indianapolis during high school, averaging 19.3 points and totaling 177 rebounds and 118 steals as a senior. She earned a spot on the Indiana All-Star team following her senior season in 1997. After making a name for herself in Indianapolis, Douglas took her talents to West Lafayette.
Recruited by former Purdue head coach Carolyn Peck, Douglas became one of the most decorated Boilermakers in program history. She played a vital role on the Boilermakers' 1999 NCAA Championship team alongside fellow Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer Stephanie White and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Ukari Figgs.
Douglas' role for the Boilermakers increased over her last two seasons in West Lafayette. As a junior and senior, she won Big Ten Player of the Year and Purdue Female Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
After a standout career in West Lafayette, Douglas was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Orlando Miracle. Two years into her career, the Miracle relocated north and became the Connecticut Sun, where she came into her own. Douglas was a two-time WNBA All-Star with the Sun and won the 2006 All-Star Game MVP.
In 2008, Douglas returned to her hometown to join the Indiana Fever. The move back to Indianapolis paid off as she helped lead the Fever to a WNBA Championship in 2012 while being coached by Lin Dunn and Stephanie White. Following six years in Indianapolis, Douglas played her 14th and final season with the Sun before retiring in 2014.
Douglas is the 106th Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductee with Purdue ties, joining the likes of John Wooden, Lin Dunn, Matt Painter, Stephanie White, Glenn Robinson, and Sharon Versyp. She also makes it back-to-back years with a Purdue women's basketball representative following White's 2022 induction.
Joining Douglas in being honored on Saturday is one of her teammates from the 1999 National Championship Boilermakers, Kelly Komara. Komara is set to be named to the Silvery Anniversary Team. The team is made up of 1998 seniors "based on outstanding accomplishments as a senior basketball player 25 years ago."
Komara won the 1998 Indiana Miss Basketball Award after starring at Lake Central High School. The current Purdue associate head coach will be eligible for an induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame with Douglas next year.