Orlando Miracle rookie Katie Douglas had an outstanding college career. Growing up in basketball-made Indiana, she was a two-time Kodak All-American at Purdue University, where she was on the national championship team in 1999. This past year, she was the Big Ten Conference's Female Athlete of the Year.

But she has had some tragedy to deal with. Her father died in June 1997 of prostate cancer, and her mother died this past April of breast cancer. In this interview, she talks about dealing with the losses and the challenges of going from a college star to a pro role off the bench.

Gball: You've had some tough personal times through the years and recently. Has basketball been a part of your coping?
Douglas: Some of the things I've been through have made me a stronger person. And definitely, basketball has been sort of my outlet that I use to get my mind off those kinds of things. Without basketball I don't know where I'd be. That's kind of my refuge, the court and playing. I think I just keep growing as a person and just keep trying to move on.

How did you get started playing basketball?
I think it was a combination of things. I have two older brothers I used to play outside on the driveway with. Then I started getting into organized basketball, playing every Saturday when I was a kid. I just really started enjoying the game.

And then I got what you could call "noticed" by a coach at my middle school. He really took me under his wing and helped me develop my game. Ever since that point, ever since I got involved with AAU, it was something I fell in love with.

What are the biggest differences between college ball and pro ball?
I think one of the big differences is just the style of play here, and how much more physical and up-tempo it is. You have so many tremendous players from every college team. In college, you're used to a couple of good players but here everybody is as good as one or two good players on my college team. The level of intensity and the level of play is raised extremely.

Are you bruised and banged up?
I wouldn't say any more than I got in college. I think I got a lot in college, though.

How did you adjust from being a go-to player to not starting?
It's been easy for me because in my freshman year at Purdue I had that role--to come off the bench and to really watch what's going on at the beginning. I enjoy that: Watching to see where the openings are and seeing what we need to do better, both offensively and defensively. I think my college experience really helped me.

What do you do when you're on the bench?
Obviously, you're supposed to pay attention to what position you're going to be playing and what you're going to be doing when you get in. I just try to mentally prepare myself and watch what we're doing--what we're doing well and things we're not doing well.

What do you work on in practices?
There's a lot of things. Just being more comfortable out there. That's going to come with experience. Just getting more confidence and more repetition out there. I need to work on being more explosive sometimes. I think sometimes I just kind of lay back a little bit. Those are also things I'm going to work on in the off-season.

What was it like going back for the game in Indianapolis, against the Indiana Fever?
It was awesome. The first time we went back there, I was able to play. It was awesome to see the amount of support I got from the people from my hometown, Indianapolis, and from the people from Purdue. It's just a great feeling to get welcomed when you're the visiting team in your home arena and in your home state. I was disappointed the second time; I was injured and couldn't play. The results weren't as good the second time, either.

How do you spend your time on the road?
We do a variety of things. At the professional level you're basically on your own once you get to a city. We go shopping a lot, watch some movies. Nothing, I guess, too out of the ordinary. A lot of times when you're on the road is when you catch up on your sleep. That's what I usually do.

How do you stay ready to go in?
Mentally, watching the other players out there, watching your position and looking at things they're doing well and maybe things they're not doing so well. Physically, it's hard. That is the biggest obstacle. You don't know when you're going in. You could be sitting there for a while, a while after you warmed up. It is tough suddenly getting in and being expected to run up and down the floor. Your body just has to get used to it, and my body definitely is able to make that change. As long as you prepare yourself mentally, a couple times up and down the floor and you're warm.

What does the team need to do to reach the playoffs?
The number one thing is to win the next six games and hope Charlotte loses a couple. I think the main thing is to concentrate on one game at a time. We're playing well right now and I think we need to focus on the sense of urgency we need to have because we only have six games left and we need all of them.

Have you made rookie mistakes?
I definitely have made my share of mistakes. But I think they are all correctable mistakes. I don't think it's ever been too noticeable. I'm my biggest critic. There are a lot of things I mess up with. But I'm out there giving 110 percent, and the coaches know that. I'm not going to make the same mistake two times.

Interview conducted by Gball Assistant Editor David Hill.

(AP Photo/Scott Audette)


Check out last year's q&a's by clicking here