Into the Hall: Katie Kelly
Submitted photo
Katie Kelly may be one of the most underrated girls basketball in Fayette County history.
The 2000 Albert Gallatin graduate is the only county player to score over 1,600 points in both high school and at the NCAA Division-I level. Kelly rang up 1,687 points as a four-year starter with the Lady Colonials and added 1,625 more at Eastern Kentucky University.
Kelly is part of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
“I’m very humbled and honored,” Kelly said of her impending induction on Hall of Fame co-founder George Von Benko’s Sports Line Talk Show on WMBS Radio Saturday. “I know there’s been a lot of great players come through Fayette County.”
The daughter of Tom and Brenda Kelly emphasized the great amount of help she received in her development as a basketball player.
“First and foremost, my dad for sure,” Kelly said. “The sacrifices he made, to work long hours and come home and still go outside and do ball handling drills, practice. I was just blessed to have that type of support. My mom, my sister, the support that they gave me, my Uncle Tim, the time that he made to just spend time doing drills, working on my left hand, playing games to make it fun at a young age, not realizing the skills that they were developing that led to my success.
“To be completely honest, it’s a true blessing, it’s God’s grace. It shows up every day, even now, that He blessed me with such a support system. They were truly the backbone of my success. Without them, I’m not talking to you on the line right now.”
While almost all outstanding athletes begin playing sports at a young age, Kelly took that to extremes.
“I remember my dad telling me I was in diapers when I started dribbling a basketball,” Kelly said with a laugh. “Between that and me wanting to skip my naps to watch Larry Bird on TV, he knew there was something there.”
Kelly pointed out the boost she got from her coaches along the way.
“The first coach that comes to mind that reached out to my dad was Dick Adamovich,” Kelly said. “He jumped through hoops to get me to the YMCA league to play for Asbury basketball.
“From there I was introduced to Chris Cluss. My dad knew him from years ago. Chris Cluss was really the reason I ended up at EKU. He advocated for me, he would network for me because I didn’t know anything about that at that age. He’s the one that got me into the Robert Morris showcase tournament and that’s were the EKU recruiters were. From there it’s history. I ended up making a trip to EKU and choosing that school to go to.
“I owe a lot to Chris Cluss,” Kelly added, noting the integral part he has played in helping young female basketball players in the area. “To help them achieve their goals and further their careers is admirable. Great guy, good heart, I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Kelly had to work hard during her basketball career to make up for her lack of height. She was 4-foot-9 when she entered the starting lineup as a freshman at AG and topped out at 5-4 by the time she was a senior. She didn’t allow that to prevent her from having a stellar career with the Lady Colonials and she even averaged 6.1 rebounds per game her senior year to go along with 23.6 points and 6.5 assists.
Albert Gallatin struggled in Kelly’s first two seasons but improved to 15-7 her junior year and won a section championship her senior campaign with a 23-4 overall record and an 11-1 section mark. She lauded head coach Ann Capozzi in a 2015 interview, who took over the team after her freshman season.
“Ann Capozzi came in and she turned that team around,” Kelly said. “She started putting people into positions where they could succeed, and she put in plays that helped people excel. As a team we came together, and the team chemistry came together. You could see us building toward that senior season.”
Albert Gallatin qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in Kelly’s final year and defeated Montour before falling to North Allegheny. The Lady Colonials also qualified for the PIAA tournament where they lost to Altoona.
Kelly earned freshman of the year honors in her first season at AG and was a four-time member of the Fayette County Coaches Association’s All-County team. She earned numerous other honors her senior season when she was chosen as the TikTok成人版 Girls Player of the Year, was selected to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-WPIAL first team and was named fourth team all-state.
Kelly, whose teammates during her senior season at AG included Marissa Gudac and a freshman named Loui Hall (now known as Ellen Guillard) who would go on to break the school scoring record and is also a member of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame, cherished her years playing for the Lady Colonials.
“One of the best times of my life,” Kelly said. “As you grow older you go your separate ways so you lose contact but it’s funny when they pop up how you just pick up from where you left off. I’m grateful for each and every one of them along the way. I learned a lot about the game playing with them and I learned a lot about life.”
Kelly flourished in college playing for the Colonels on teams that compiled a four-year overall record of 78-40 and earned an NIT invitation. In addition to her point total, Kelly is among the school’s all-time leaders in assists (395) and free throw shooting (87%). She was named to the Ohio Valley Conference first team as a senior and second team as a junior.
“I had goals to play Division-I basketball so it checked that box,” Kelly said of going to EKU. “The personality I had, it was just the right-sized school. I was surrounded with the right people at the right time. It was a good choice for sure.”
Kelly deflected most of the credit for her success to others.
“I had the easy part, that’s the way I look at it. I loved the game so much I couldn’t get enough of it. I enjoyed practice more than I enjoyed the games to be honest,” Kelly said. “The success doesn’t necessarily speak about me, I think it speaks volumes about my support system.”
Kelly had dreams of coaching basketball after her playing days were over.
“Years ago I thought I was just going to be a coach and work myself up from high school to college, maybe Division-I, and God had different plans for me,” Kelly said. “I started at the Federal Borough of Prisons and that started my law enforcement career and since then it’s transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. In today’s world it keeps you busy.”
Hall of Fame festivities will be held on June 20 beginning with the annual golf outing at 8:30 a.m. followed by the luncheon and inductions at Pleasant Valley Golf Club in Connellsville. Golfers can register and luncheon tickets can be purchased by contacting Katie Propes by phone (724-415-2211) or email (kpropes@occluss.com).