St. Edward grad Yohn already fitting in at Bradley

People around Elgin and St. Edward High School have always known what kind of basketball player and person Katie Yohn is. Her talents on the court and her character are what earned her a basketball scholarship at Bradley University in Peoria.

Now, Braves' coach Paula Buscher is learning all of that on a day-to-day basis.

"I know she's a heck of a player, I get that," Buscher said this week. "But she's such a great person and such a great teammate."

Yohn is the two-time honorary captain of the Daily Herald's all-area team who graduated from St. Edward as the program's all-time leading scorer. The list of awards she earned during her high school career is as long as the list of creditors on the national debt ledger. She left Elgin for Bradley regarded as one of the top five girls basketball players to ever play for a city of Elgin high school.

But when she left Elgin, she left all that behind for a new chapter in her life - college. Earlier this week, the Daily Herald caught up with Yohn prior to a Bradley practice.

"Everything's going real well right now," she said.

That's an understatement. After getting her feet wet and playing well in Bradley's two exhibition games, Yohn's first two regular-season college games have been nothing short of fantastic. In a season-opening loss at Northern Illinois last Friday, playing in front of a large contingent of fans from Elgin and St. Edward, she came off the bench to score 16 points, grab 5 rebounds and dish out 5 assists. Then, last Sunday at home against Illinois-Chicago, she earned her first college start and contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to a 79-64 Bradley win. Her resume of college awards began earlier this week when she was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week.

"I know there might have been some nerves but five minutes into her first exhibition game she was fine," said Buscher. "She handles herself so well. She's a quick learner and she pays attention. There are things to work on and she knows that but she's just so poised for a freshman. When she's on the floor it doesn't even play into my head that she's a freshman.

"She's going to be a great college player."

As she's entered the world of being a college athlete, there have been many changes, and the 5-foot-10 Yohn says the biggest one is physical.

"The first big difference would be the workouts," she said. "We didn't do much weightlifting at St. Ed's so coming here and doing the weightlifting has been a big change. I can see the difference. Val Gotheridge (her former St. Edward teammate) goes here and she's noticed how much stronger I am. I can shoot farther away from the basket."

Buscher says Yohn has made a smooth transition to the physical part of the college game.

"Most college players need to gain more strength, especially upper body strength, and she's really done that," Buscher said.

Yohn, who is studying to be a physician's assistant, said another big difference has been the amount of time spent around the gym.

"It's a big commitment," she said. "Waking up early, which I'm not a fan of, for weightlifting, morning class, practice ... we have to come in an hour before practice for any treatments we need and then there's icing after. We're in the gym 5-6 hours a day. It's a lot of work."

Again, Buscher says no worries.

"She takes everything in stride," Buscher said. "You don't worry about her in the classroom or out socially. She handles everything. She's a joy to coach and that makes it easier on you."

Yohn said one thing that surprised her is the "rock star" treatment athletes get in college.

"It shocked me how much they take care of us," she said. "There's pregame meals and postgame meals and when you're on scholarship you get a card to use for meals so you never have to worry about money. And all the clothes they give us ... we also have mandatory study hall room four hours a week and that helps me manage my time."

While Yohn acknowledges the workload, she also says she's having fun, and playing for a team with high hopes.

"On the NIU trip, we had a blast on the bus and in the hotel," she said. "We had some free time and you get to know the girls so well. We're like a family and we really click. It's a lot of fun. We're a young team. We have six sophomores and two freshmen. We're growing together and doing real well right now and playing real well."

As always, Yohn's goals are centered around the team.

"I'm still growing as a player offensively and defensively," she said. "I've talked to coach about how I've improved already and there's so much more to improve on. I'm still adjusting and getting used to all the different things she throws at us. But I'm happy to see all the hard work pay off and it's a lot of fun.

"I don't really have any goals except for our team goals and that's to win every game. I'm just giving it my all every day."

Buscher says the sky is the limit for Yohn, who will play Sunday at Illinois as Bradley's schedule has the team on the road much of the next 4-5 weeks, including a trip to Las Vegas that Yohn says, "I'm really excited for."

"She's going to keep getting better and better," Buscher said. "She's going to be a really special player in our league."