A quick glance at Katie Douglas of Purdue tells you she's been through a lot. The braces on each knee and ankle are a testament to the countless hours she has spent on the basketball court, and the toll it has taken on her 21-year-old body.

The 6-foot-1 senior from Indianapolis has played more basketball than you've even seen — 125 games and counting, including a national final two years ago.

And through it all she's dealt with the scrapes, bumps, bruises and sprains that can't be avoided, especially if you attract as much attention night in and night out as Douglas does.

It's only upon further inspection that you learn just how much she has really been through.

The preseason Big Ten Player of the Year has led the Boilermakers back to the top of the conference this season. No. 5 Purdue is 24-4 heading into tonight's game at Penn State, four days after clinching its sixth regular season Big Ten title.

Douglas' credentials speak for themselves. Last season alone she was a Kodak All-American, the Big Ten Player of the Year, a Naismith Award finalist and, for the second straight year, an Academic All-American. Douglas says she and her teammates aren't done yet, however, and that a second national championship in three years would give credence to what has already been an outstanding collegiate career.

"There's been a lot of off the court stuff I've had to overcome," she says. "A championship this season would be the greatest accomplishment of my life."

Last year, Douglas' mother, Karen, passed away, only three years after the death of her father, Ken. Those circumstances in themselves are hard enough for any college student to bear, let alone one who receives national media exposure every week.

But Douglas has handled it well. She is a seasoned veteran of interviews, and it shows in speaking to her. She anticipates the questions before they come, all the while conveying a quiet confidence that gives you no reason to believe she'd be anything but successful in just about any endeavor.

A true sophomore in 1998-99, the 6-foot-1 Douglas started all 35 games for the Boilers as Purdue went 34-1 and defeated Duke to clinch its first NCAA championship. Douglas says she sees a few similarities between that squad and the current rendition.

"Like two years ago, we have a big target on our backs. But it's hard to compare those two teams," she says. "This year we have more balance, and so much more depth, which is what makes us so dangerous."

The bulls-eye is just as much on Douglas' back as it is on Purdue's. After averaging 20.4 points per game a year ago, Douglas knows that every team she faces has more than one pair of eyes, and likely more than one pair of hands, on her. She doesn't mind the attention, though, because although her scoring is down (13.8 ppg through Sunday) she says it makes things that much easier for her teammates.

"This year it's a lot different, last year a lot of the scoring relied on myself, this year a lot of people have stepped up," she says. "Teams can't really key on me, because if you put two players on me, someone's obviously going to be open."

Penn State senior Lisa Shepherd can empathize. As the only player in the conference who gets sent to the foul line more than Douglas, Shepherd knows what it's like to be hounded all over the court.

"I think it makes it tough, and it can be frustrating," Shepherd says. "You've got people holding on to you, and you can't play the game like you want to play it."

Injuries have also kept Douglas from playing the game the way she wants to play it. She suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this month in a game against Illinois, and just ten days later Douglas was struggling at Ohio State.

However, in what was one of the worst statistical performances in her career, Douglas showed just why opposing coaches lie awake at night thinking about trying to stop her. With 17 seconds left in the second overtime, in a packed-to-capacity Value City Arena full of crazed Buckeye fans, Douglas hit a driving layup to prevent the upset. She finished 2-of-10 from the field, but in true Katie Douglas fashion, came through in the clutch.

"Obviously she's their go-to player, and if there's a last-second shot that's who they're going to go to," Shepherd says. "She's really consistent in that area."

Having the ball and the outcome of the game in her hands during the final seconds is something Douglas has become accustomed to.

"I don't ever want to be in that type of scenario — I want to win convincingly," she says. "But if it does arrive, I'm the type of person who wants the ball."

Douglas has been so banged up throughout her career that her teammates call her "an old woman", but says she is thankful that she hasn't had any injury serious enough to keep her from playing.

Her determination and durability have not gone unnoticed. Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry says Douglas has handled her latest physical setback tremendously, and through it all has maintained her leadership responsibilities.

"As many minutes as she hasn't practiced or played for us, she's just been a tremendous leader," Curry says.

And although Douglas isn't lighting up scoreboards at the frantic pace of a year ago, she's "capable of that at any time," says Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland, who has seen Douglas torch her Lady Lions on several occasions.

"No one in the country has stopped Katie's left hand yet," Portland adds. "We all dream of it, but it hasn't happened."

You wonder if there's anything anyone can throw at Douglas that will stop her, or even slow her down. Knowing how far she has come and what she's had to go through to get there, both on and off the court, you realize that it takes more than a bum ankle to faze Katie Douglas.