Kyle NeddenriepIndianapolis Star
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In June of 2023, Kanon Catchings was about to enter his senior year of high school at Brownsburg in preparation for his college basketball future at Purdue. A year later, Catchings has embarked on a different journey – one that took him through Atlanta for his senior year at Overtime Elite – and now to Provo, Utah.
The 6-9 Catchings, who averaged 15.3 points on 37% shooting and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Cold Heart team of the Overtime Elite league, committed to BYU on Tuesday. Catchings, committed to Purdue following his sophom*ore year at Brownsburg before breaking off that pledge earlier this month, a few days before freshmen reported to West Lafayette.
Catchings visited BYU, Florida State and North Carolina State in a process his mother, Tauja, compared to a “speed dating” version of recruiting.
“It’s been an interesting ride,” Tauja Catchings said. “To being gone his senior year to going out to Utah, it’s not what we expected. But we trust God’s timing and he’s got Kanon.”
Kanon, the nephew of former Tennessee and Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings, a member for the Naismith Basketball of Fame, is projected by ESPN NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony as a potential one-and-done college player and first-round draft pick next summer. Kevin Young, hired at BYU in April, appeared to be on track to becoming an NBA head coach and was a finalist for the Brooklyn Nets job just before taking the position at BYU, which was vacated when Mark Pope was hired by Kentucky.
Young was most recently an associate head coach with Phoenix Suns.
Tauja Catchings said originally after the departure from Purdue, she expected Kanon would likely return to Overtime Elite for a year and then either pursue professional or college basketball.
“That was what we were kind of thinking,” Tauja said. “He had great relationships there and that would be a natural fit. Then we got a lot of calls and a lot of schools were interested, which kind of surprised me. You kind of assume every team is pretty much filled by that point. You try to build relationships quickly. I told Kanon it was kind like an episode of the ‘Bachelor’ or something, but it was a good experience for him to go through it. I think a lot of people probably don’t realize he kind of rushed through it the first time.”
Catchings had a connection at BYU. His coach at Overtime Elite with the Cold Hearts was Tim Fanning, who Young hired as an assistant coach. Tauja said that connection does help “the comfort level” of committing to BYU but was not the deciding factor.
“We had a Zoom call with them and met coach Young,” she said. “I love that he’s a family man and a man of faith, first and foremost. And he’s been where Kanon is trying to go in the NBA as a coach for many years. He has a lot of experience and could help prepare Kanon and other players who have NBA aspirations.”
Catchings, ranked as the No. 40 player in the country in the 247sports composite list, will move to BYU this weekend and get started on preparations for his freshman season. He averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior at Brownsburg and would have been one of the frontrunners for IndyStar Mr. Basketball as a senior.
Tauja, who was Illinois Miss Basketball in 1996 and went on to star at Illinois in college, said her family has “nothing but respect for Purdue” and cited Kanon’s close relationship for assistant coach Brandon Brantley as the most difficult part of moving on from the Boilermakers.
“Purdue is an exceptional program,” Tauja said. “Kanon’s goal when he committed to Purdue was just to play college basketball. His goal now is to play in the NBA. Purdue has been more of a traditional program, which I like. I played four years at Illinois. But I think Kanon was probably looking for a program that can support his timeline.”
Tauja said she is “heartbroken he’s not going to be 45 minutes from home,” but said Kanon’s experience at Overtime Elite probably allowed him to take another look at his future.
“I think it’s something that has been weighing on him for probably the past year,” she said. “I don’t believe everything came as a surprise to Purdue. I think going away to Overtime Elite allowed him to spread his wings and opened his eyes a little more. He was able to reevaluate everything. He’s 18 now and committed when he was 16. It’s been hard on him. His roots are here in Indiana, and he has a lot of ties here. But I’m proud of him.”
There are forks in the road that are tough to navigate in life. But with the vantage point of hindsight, Tauja said Kanon’s move to Overtime Elite was a positive. Now he is on to his next adventure in Utah.
“For Kanon, it was not just basketball,” she said. “It was pushing him out of the nest and helping with his maturity. He needed to grow and mature. I would have been terrified sending Kanon from our house to college. But having that year in between helped build him up academically. They really poured a lot into the players and build them up. He had ups and downs but was able to end on a positive note.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
