On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Hunter Cruse is joined by Em Adler and Lincoln Shafer to revisit Katie Douglas‘s journey in the 2001 WNBA draft. The episode, part of the WNBA Retrospect series, takes listeners back in time to 2001, when Purdue phenom Katie Douglas somehow fell to No. 10 in the draft. The three discuss Douglas’s career, revisit her pre-draft film, and more.
The three begin the episode by discussing what they know and remember about Douglas. “Katie Douglas did a lot of different things for Purdue,” Adler says. “Her senior year, I struggled to see her doing any of those things in a way that wasn’t, like, obviously stand-out.” Shafer agrees. “She has every secondary skill you could ask for,” he says, echoing Adler’s observations.
Later on, Cruse, Adler, and Shafer discuss how a player as dynamic as Douglas went tenth overall in the draft. The trio point out phenomena such as Douglas’s reluctance as a shooter, but also her scoring versatility, and her drive to get downhill. So, why did she fall to No. 10? “She’s not a lead creator,” Shafer offers. But Adler and Cruse take it a step further, and Adler offers reasons why her skill set wasn’t as valued in the draft as it could have been.
To wrap things up, the trio discuss Douglas’s WNBA career. “It took her a while to get everything out of her skill set,” Cruse reflects. “She struggled early on.” But then, her career took off and she began gaining recognition, earning awards, and leaving an impact. “So,” Adler says, “player development works.”
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Correction: In an earlier edition, this article stated that Katie Douglas was drafted in 2002. She was drafted in 2001.