INDIANAPOLIS - Hometown hero Katie Douglas -- who played basketball at Perry Meridian High School and won an NCAA championship at Purdue University -- was injured and could not play in the finals with her Fever teammates.

But Douglas still contributed to her team's title win by doing what good teammates do -- she was encouraging them.

But when the victory was won, the party was on. She and Tamika Catchings, the mainstays of the franchise, shared a hug. Douglas shared her thoughts.

The ladies played amazing in these finals," Douglas said. "I'm just so happy. I'm so thankful for these fans. Thank you, Indianapolis. Thank you guys so much."

Douglas didn't say so, but she could have thanked the folks at Perry Meridian High School, where her Indiana All-Star jersey is preserved in glass and a hallway is named after her. 

Junior Perry Meridian basketball player Cassie Baird said Douglas is inspiring.

"She's always talked about. She's the person we all strive to become," Baird said. "We want to be that person that is leading the team to great things."

Mike Armstrong, Douglas's coach at Perry, said she is a living, breathing, instructional video on how to make an impact on your community.

"It's clearly a positive image. Katie is somebody who shows work ethic and who shows commitment and dedication and somebody who is trying to be the best," Armstrong said. "We tell people that Katie Douglas is the gift that keeps on giving."

"Every time there is a story written (about Douglas), Perry Meridian's name is in there somewhere," Armstrong added. "Kids can see that someone from a community they live in has achieved to that level. It kind of inspires them to know that someone who lived where they live accomplished that."

Some of the girls on the current Perry Meridian team were not born when Douglas played on the team, but they know who she is, and they are proud today.

"Just her legacy is everywhere around Perry," Baird said. "You can see her in evereything girls-basketball related, sports related. She is shown as a positive person to strive to become."