Posted by Mechelle Voepel
INDIANAPOLIS -- On the court for Indiana was Katie Douglas. On the Fever sideline was Lin Dunn. Doing color commentary for ESPN2 was Carolyn Peck. In the stands was Ukari Figgs, now an assistant coach for Sharon Versyp at Purdue.
Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images
Stephanie White, an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky who retired from the WNBA in 2005, helped Purdue win the 1999 NCAA title.
And honored by the franchise before Wednesday's Game 4 of the WNBA Finals was former Fever player Stephanie White. She looked around and was connecting the many dots.
White, Figgs and Douglas all were recruited to Purdue by Dunn, then coached to a national championship in 1999 by Peck.
White is now an assistant to head coach Steve Key with the Chicago Sky, so the Fever are competition for her. However, on this night, she was a Fever fan.
"It's just an amazing feeling to see this tonight," White said of the sellout at Conseco Fieldhouse. "I'm so happy for them. Especially Tamika [Catchings], who has been here for so long and has been the epitome of everything you would want in an athlete -- a great teammate, a great friend, a great person.
"I'm proud for her and proud for Katie to be able to play here in her hometown. And for Coach Dunn, who has been such a competitor at every level."
A decade has passed since White -- who was a prep legend at Seeger High and was Miss Indiana Basketball in 1995 -- played alongside Douglas and Figgs at Purdue.
"We have all kept in touch," White said. "Katie is a player who has continued to grow and develop. I'm just so happy to see someone like her, who has been through so much personally, be able to persevere."
Dunn was relieved of her duties at Purdue after White's freshman season in 1996. Nell Fortner coached White one season, then Peck finished out White's college career. White retired as a WNBA player before the 2005 season.
White says she considers Dunn "one of the greatest minds in the game, and I love talking to her."
As for the Sky, who finished just out of the playoffs at 16-18 (Washington won the tiebreaker over Chicago and Connecticut), White thinks good things are in store for 2010.
"First and foremost, we've got to stay healthy," White said. "Especially Sylvia [Fowles] -- we've got to be able to keep her on the floor, because we're a much better team with her. Candice Dupree had an amazing year and will continue to get better and grow. If she continues that next year, we're going to be pretty good. We've got a good nucleus, so I think it's time for us to make a run."
Women's Basketball
