Big Ten All-American Soldiers on Despite Physical, Emotional Pain
Big Ten All-American soldiers on 1 despite physical, emotional pain USA Today folded, given up. I’ve tried to soldier on. I’m surrounded by great people. No mat- On and off the court, Katie Douglas has ter what life throws at you, you have to get been a soldier with the Purdue women’s up. No matter what life throws at you, basketball team. The All-American’s game there’s somebody who’s got it worse.” attire has included oversized ankle braces, knee guards and elbow pads—enough ar- The 6-1 senior and two-time Big Ten player mor to make her look ready for combat. of the year, averaging 14.2 points, 4.4 re- bounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals, might be “I went through wars in games and came the most versatile player in the country. out standing,” she says. The senior has been Equally comfortable at point guard, on the through concussions, tendinitis and recon- wing or on the low block, she often plays structive ankle surgery, plus three coaches. every position but center for the well re- The injuries and coaching changes were the spected Boilermakers. easy part. The tough part is the emotional pain. In the last three plus years, Douglas It’s hard to imagine anyone experiencing a has lost her father to pancreatic cancer, a greater range of emotions than Douglas. As teammate to a drunken driver and her a sophomore, she had the ball in the final mother to breast cancer. seconds of Purdue’s win in the 1999 na- tional title game before flinging it to the “I’ve lost three people really close to me,” rafters in a moment of exquisite exhilara- she says.
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