Racers reflect on Young's banner day
WBB: Murray State retired Katelyn Young's #31 on senior day Saturday
There are usually certain steps that need to be taken before a player’s number is retired at Murray State. First, a player finishes their career, then at least five years later they’re inducted into the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame, and finally, for those elite of the elite athletes, their number eventually hangs from the rafters. It doesn’t always work that way, but more often than not, that is the process.
As Murray State’s all-time leader in scoring and rebounding, there was no question that someday Katelyn Young’s #31 would find its way to the top of the CFSB Center. A little more than a month ago, Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner, in a restaurant bathroom, put the wheels in motion for ‘someday’ to get here a lot faster than many people would have imagined.
“My family and (Katelyn’s) family just happened to be at Texas Roadhouse together,” Turner said. “I texted her mother, and I said, ‘Meet me in the bathroom.’ So we have a secret meeting in the bathroom at Texas Roadhouse, and I'm like, ‘I've got to tell you something, but it is top secret. I'm only telling you because I want you to have anybody and everybody there that you want, and I want to give you time to make plans for that. But we're not telling Katelyn — no way, shape or form.’ So that's when I told her mom, and somehow, someway, we were able to keep it from her. I don't know how. I didn't even tell my assistant coaches. (Assistant Coach) Monica (Evans) obviously knew the whole time, because she's helping get everything together. I didn't tell my (other) assistant coaches until the day before because I was afraid somebody would slip. I didn't tell anybody, because it’s such a big day, such a big moment, and I wanted to make it as special as possible. I knew if she did not know, the moment she realized what was happening, that would be a moment she would have forever.”
Before Saturday’s Senior Day festivities, the Racers had a huge game against Missouri State on Thursday. After Murray State was ultimately able to beat the Lady Bears, 78-67, all their attention was able to shift to Senior Day. For Turner, the emotions of the weekend arrived early as she says she teared up during shootaround on Thursday.
“I think it was because I knew how big the moment was, but I already started thinking about Senior Day,” Turner said, fighting back tears. “I get emotional thinking about it now. I had a rough week, just emotionally trying to prepare for it, to do what I knew I needed to do, but also to be able to control my own emotions for the young women on our team. None of us handled it well — NONE of us handled it well. There's probably not two closer people on Earth than Haven Ford and Katelyn Young, and Haven was struggling all week. She was bad. I met with her twice on Saturday before the game. I said, ‘Honey, you're going to have to get past this. She's not dying, she's graduating, you know?’ It got to that point, but those bonds that those girls share is something that they'll have the rest of their life. It wasn't just the seniors, it was the other players on the team, all the coaches, everybody was emotional and it was tough to get through it — and then we played terrible. There wasn't much good about the whole thing. But instead of being mad, I just tried to help them get through it. It was bad, but it was (a couple) really emotional days. There was a lot of days that led up to it, and we got through it, and we we're really able to enjoy it.”
As good of a job as her family and coaches did in not spoiling the surprise, some simple female intuition may have tipped off Young and her teammates about the jersey retirement. Young said she noticed a gap where the banners usually hang at the top of the arena, and she had a fleeting thought it might be happening, but she says she shook that off. While Young tried not to think about what might happen, senior forward Ava Learn did some silent detective work of her own.
“I would like to say I'm observant, and I noticed a gap,” Learn said. “I was like, ‘Has that always been there?’ I didn't know. Then I looked over, and (Turner is) pointing up there. I'm like, ‘Oh no, it's happening!’ I was doing fine up until that point. I'm an emotional girly, so when I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh, it's so sweet. Look at that, it's happening in front of me and I don't have to come back — it's happening right now!’ I thought it was really freaking cool and it's obviously very well deserved. This girl's been working her butt off, and I'm just so happy for her.”
Turner held Young’s hand as the banner fell, partly to make sure Young didn’t walk away before the banner dropped, but mostly as a show of mutual respect and love between not only a player and a coach, but also between two women that will have a lifelong connection.
“I'm glad we got to share the moment together,” Young said. “Especially on Senior Day, that just made it super special too. We've kind of been through everything together. She's just super, super special to me, and I'm so glad that she was able to be right there, right next to me and just share that moment. I know it meant a lot to her as well.”
Thanks to the Texas Roadhouse Bathroom Summit, Young’s mom was able to round up dozens of family and friends to make the trip to Murray for the big day.
“It kind of just goes back to my hometown and how many people support me, and it just means the world,” Young said. “Honestly, I'm so glad every single one of them got to come down here. People who haven't really been able to see me play in person, they got to finally come to my Senior Night and just see me play. I'm so glad everyone got to come down and it means literally the world to me.”
There is still so much to accomplish this season for the Racers as a team, but from a personal standpoint, it will be hard to ever top watching her #31 drop from the rafters. Three days later, Young says the magnitude of the moment still hasn’t sunk in.
“It probably won't until I'm actually done playing basketball and be able to come back here and just look up there (at the rafters),” Young said. “It's so cool just to think that I got to play on the same court while it's hanging up, and that probably no one ever has been able to do that. It’s super cool to think that I got to do that. Just going out there to practice too, looking up there, seeing my name, seeing my number — super cool. Just a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad that actually happened.”
Best interview EVER! Love Kate!
Love it!!!!