The GOAT is back!
WBB: Katelyn Young is returning to Murray State to join Rechelle Turner's coaching staff
After Murray State’s NCAA Tournament run ended in March, senior forward Katelyn Young had her eyes on starting her professional career.
“The plan right now is to go overseas,” Young said in her exit interview with RacerBasketball.com. “I’ll have that one season over there and then get married. I'm going to take overseas one season at a time. If I really do enjoy it, I'll continue. If not, then I'm going to try to find a job somewhere.”
If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.
After a summer of playing professionally in Australia, Young didn’t try to find a job. A job found her.
Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner announced Monday that she has hired Young as her newest assistant coach.
“I think it was just a great opportunity that, honestly, I couldn't pass up,” Young said.
This opportunity has been in the works for months, but, in Turner’s mind, it was far from a sure thing when she first broached the topic with the best player that has ever graced Murray State’s program.
“(Assistant Coach) Brittany (Patrick) had told me (this spring) she was leaving to move back home (after getting a) good opportunity at Northern Illinois,” Turner said. “Kate came in my office, and I said, ‘Hey, I'm getting ready to rock your world with this question, but I seriously want you to think about it. Brittany's leaving. Would you be interested in her position?’ In her way, she just kind of tilted her head and smiled at me a little bit. I said, ‘You've told me all along you did not want to coach, so I've never pressured you about it. I've never even really talked to you about it.’ She didn't give me a quick ‘no’, so I was like, ‘OK, just think about it.’”
After Young chewed on it for a little while, she tapped into when Turner first recruited her to Murray State to let her coach, and now boss, know she was ready to come home to Murray.
“I tried to make it kind of like my commitment,” Young said, looking back to her 2019 decision to come to Murray State. “I said, ‘I don't think it's a good fit — I think it's a great fit.’ She was super excited.”
For years, Turner joked about trying to add Young to her staff when Young’s playing days were over. For years, Young would shoo Turner away. At some point in the last few months, that shooing turned into a ‘What if?’ for Young.
“Honestly, I've always been kind of open to it, but there's other things I'd rather do,” Young said. “The mindset shift happened towards the end of the year. (During my) fifth year, I became a pretty big leader on the court and all that stuff. I kind of realized how much I enjoy just sharing the knowledge.”
Looking up inside the CFSB Center and seeing Young’s #31 hanging from the rafters is affirmation that she has plenty to share the next generation of Racers. Some of that next generation shared a locker room with Young, and she said her former teammates are beyond thrilled with her return.
“They’re all so excited today,” Young said. “They've all come in and just hugged me. (Assistant Coach) Monica (Evans) is always the person everyone hugs. (Today), they're like, ‘Oh, hey, Monica.’ So it's just nice being able to be back and seeing all the girls.”
Today was nothing short of a celebration in the practice facility with Young being back in the building, but the honeymoon won’t last long because the work is already underway in preparing for this upcoming season. As the 23-year-old gets settled into her new job, she’s also settling into the new relationship dynamics she has with her former teammates — and now current players.
“It's definitely going to be an adjustment, 100%,” Young said. “I think kind of going back to the fifth year of being that leader, telling people what they need to hear. I think that's the main thing I'm going to focus on. It will definitely be difficult. The friendships obviously have to change somewhat, but we'll still all be close.”
Lost in the excitement of Young’s decision to come back to Murray is her decision to walk away from her playing career. After spending three months playing professionally in Australia, Young is at peace with her decision, even if it was a hard one to make.
”I always knew basketball wasn't going to last forever,” Young said. “I think that definitely helped because my future, I want it to be in sports. This is just a great opportunity, and I really couldn't pass it up.”
The last time we saw Young playing in a Racer uniform, she limped off the floor after badly spraining her ankle in the third quarter of Murray State’s NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa. After never missing a game during her five years with the Racers, it was an unthinkable ending to Young’s collegiate career.
Her first professional stop was in Australia with the Knox Raiders. Playing in the NBL1 league, with Young’s help, the Raiders won both the NBL1 South division title and the NBL1 National championship. With Young on the roster, the Raiders won all 16 games on their way to the pair of titles.
Not every player gets the chance to win the final game of their career. Young’s collegiate journey ended with disappointment, but her trip Down Under offered her a little bit of redemption.
”(Assistant Coach Wyatt) Foust and I were talking earlier, and he's like, ‘People go overseas so many times and are chasing championships and may never win one,’” Young said. “I went over for three months and won two of them, which is so awesome. I had such a good opportunity. I felt like it fit me correctly and the team was great. I'm glad how it all worked out. It was really good.”
With her playing days now behind her, it’s time to grab a whistle and start coaching. Young said she’s excited to help the players improve and try to win games, even if it might be a little odd having to sit on the bench while the Racers play.
“It’s definitely going to be weird just sitting on the sidelines,” Young said with a smile. “But I'm glad I'm still part of the team in that way.”