Women's Watch: The end of the Catchings era

There were tears in Indianapolis on Wednesday. Lots of them.

And not just because the hometown Indiana Fever lost its first-round WNBA playoff game to the Phoenix Mercury.

Tears about the loss seemed to pale in comparison to the tears shed by fans and teammates about what the loss really meant.

It meant the end for beloved star Tamika Catchings.

Catchings, who starred at Stevenson in the mid-1990s and spent her entire 15-year professional basketball career (all 491 games) with the Fever, announced months ago that this would be her last hurrah. She would retire at the end of the season.

And now, the end is here.

"I knew (retirement) was coming, from the sense of the end," Catchings said through tears after the game. "But definitely not wanting it to end this way."

A sad day for Indianapolis, a sad day for WNBA fans everywhere.

Catchings is one of the classiest and kindest professional athletes out there. Respected by teammates and opponents alike, she is also a true fan favorite in every WNBA city.

And, full disclosure, she is my absolute favorite player, too. I remember her and older sister Tauja, daughters of former NBA player Harvey Catchings, being icons at Stevenson and winning a state title together. I remember covering Catchings during her spectacular career at Tennessee. The Daily Herald even sent me on the road to cover Tennessee in NCAA regionals and in Final Fours because of Tamika. That's how popular she had become here. She certainly had, and still has, a strong following.

I have gotten to know Tamika over the years, not only as an athlete, but as a friend. She is always upbeat and cheerful, always personable, always quick to ask about you and your life.

She's a gem. She will be missed.

"She is just an incredible person," said former WNBA star Tina Thompson, one of Catchings' closest friends. "And if you know of her and you don't know the person that she is, then you're kind of missing out, because it far exceeds her basketball prowess."

And Catchings' basketball prowess is pretty darn impressive. The accolades and numbers speak for themselves.

She is a WNBA champion, a league MVP, a Finals MVP, a 12-time all-WNBA selection, a 10-time all-star, a 5-time defensive player of the year winner and a 7-time steals leader.

Catchings has also won multiple WNBA sportsmanship awards and community service awards. Her work with kids in the Indianapolis area through her foundation (Catch the Stars) has been tireless and nearly unmatched by professional athlete standards.

"There have been a lot of people who have retired and a lot of players who have come and gone," Catchings said. "I don't think that this game (a loss in her last game) will necessarily follow me. It will be more of the impact we've been able to make off the court (through her foundation), it will be more of the legacy I've been able to leave on the court."

More sad eyes:

The other downer in Indianapolis on Wednesday was the end of the Stephanie White era.

White, a star at Purdue and a former Indiana prep legend, was in her second year as Fever head coach, but she will be leaving the franchise, too. She announced in May that she had been hired to become the head women's basketball coach at Vanderbilt University.

Being from Indiana myself, I've known White for years, and I was a colleague of hers at the Big Ten Network. The WNBA's loss is certainly college basketball's gain. Like Catchings, White is a class act and liked and well-respected by her peers.

Playoff time:

Don't forget to head to Allstate Arena on Sunday to watch the Chicago Sky take on the Atlanta Dream in a single-elimination second-round playoff game.

The challenge for the Sky will be filling the void left by leading scorer Elena Delle Donne, who is out with a thumb injury. The Sky has won regular season games without her, now the trick is to do the same with the ante up in a playoff game.

Tip-off is set for noon.

• Follow Patricia on Twitter @babcockmcgraw.