July | August 2021 The Plug Digital Magazine

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The Team Teague Foundation The Factory hosts Team USA’s U16 tryouts

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Q&A with D1 Coach McKenzie Loge

Digital Mag

July | August 2021

Count on it:

The Factory plays host to WNBA players & teams

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BUILDING BLOCKS:

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CREAM OF THE CROP:

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COUNT IT:

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PAYING IT FORWARD:

Q&A with D1 Coach McKenzie Loge

The Factory hosts nation’s best rising girls basketball players for Team USA

The Factory plays host to WNBA players, teams

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

The Team Teague Foundation

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1 YEAR LATER:

The Factory guests, staff make the most out of a difficult year

EDI TOR Aueyia Taylor

WRITER Josh Ayen

PHOTOGRAPHER David Dixon

From the desk of

the Director “Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” “If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.” “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” “Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when you share it.”

Unknown author

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McKenzie Loge is one of the newest members of D1 Training in Indianapolis. Prior to becoming a trainer, Loge played softball at IUPUI and earned a degree in exercise science. The Plug’s Josh Ayen met with Loge to discuss her work as a coach and what she enjoys the most about training children at D1.

What inspired you to get into athletic training?

Ever since I was super young I loved working out, being active.

When I was 12 years old, I would get up before school every morning at 5:30 a.m. and go to the gym with my mom and work out with her. And playing sports all my life, I was constantly staying active, working out.

That got me kind of interested in it. Then I majored in exercise science, so I learned all about exercise, training, nutrition, all that good stuff. I really decided that I wanted to get into personal training.

So I interned at a gym my senior year of college, and loved it.

When I graduated I actually interviewed at the D1 up in Finch Creek, but they were just brand new, so there wasn’t really a whole lot going on there. A little while later I saw a position open up at the D1 in Speedway, so I jumped right on that.

How has the adjustment been since you started earlier this year?

I absolutely love it. It’s so much fun. I love being able to work with young kids, as well with adults that are trying to stay healthy and get fit.

In college during the summers that I coached travel softball, I loved working with young athletes. I loved teaching them how to be healthy, how to get stronger, how to be better at their sport, not just physically but mentally as well. I think that’s super important to me.

Being mentally sound in whatever sport you’re playing is really important, I think. I like being able to instill some of that knowledge into the younger kids that come in.

What does a typical workout look like with younger kids?

We’ll usually start out with a warm-up and get them all ready to go.

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N EW M ERC H A LERT !

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Then we start off with a little speed and agility – so getting their feet moving nice and quick, doing some sprints getting their heart rates up.

We always like to keep it fun, especially with the younger kids so it’s something that they enjoy to do. So we like to do a lot of games, a lot of races, that sort of stuff.

The second half will be the weights portion, which we like to break it down and like to teach the basic stuff like squatting, bench pressing, all those simple movements that they can build on as they move up into the middle school and high school groups. We really like to build that strong foundation so that they’re ready to do their best and be their best.

How do you view your role when trying to create that foundation in athletic training?

(I see it as) Definitely just giving them a strong foundation.

We want them to be successful, and we’re there to build them up and make them the best that they can be. I definitely just say giving them a foundation, a lot of knowledge, teaching them the correct form on everything, that’s super important to me.

What would you say to parents who might not see the benefits of getting their kids into working out at a younger age?

You definitely can have your kids work out at a young age. It’s good for them, it’s healthy for them, it teaches them healthy living. When you come to us (at D1), we have the knowledge and the skills to teach them the correct ways to do everything. That way the older they get, the more their skills are already set in there.

Like I said the foundation is extremely important. They can build off that, they can become better athletes and stay healthy in general.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job so far?

Just being a positive influence on the all kids in there. We have kids from age seven to high schoolers. I love getting to learn all of their names, learn their personalities, be there for them and just be someone they look up to, be that positive influence on them. That’s really important to me.

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A LEAGUE FOR

EVERYONE

Bite Size League Ages 3-6 Impact League Ages 7-10 5th & 6th Grade League Middle School League High School League 30+ League Indy Pro Am League THE PLUG | 6

COUNT IT:

THE FACTORY PLAYS HOST TO WNBA PLAYERS& TEAMS

By Josh Ayen THE PLUG | 12

Just over 25 years ago, the world of women’s basketball was revolutionized when the NBA Board of Governors approved the creation of a Women’s National Basketball Association. The league began with eight teams, with other markets coming and going during its early years.

Three years after the league’s inaugural season, Indiana was granted an expansion franchise, the Indiana Fever.

Since 2000, the Fever organization and its players have left their mark in the world of women’s basketball. In the team’s second season, the Fever made their most influential decision in team history, selecting Tamika Catchings with the third overall pick in 2001.

In the lore of pro basketball players who have played in Indiana, perhaps no other woman’s player has been as influential as Catchings. During her 15-year career, Catchings put Indiana on the map as a WNBA powerhouse, scoring over 9,000 points between the regular season and playoffs. After years of coming up short in the WNBA finals, Catchings led the Fever to their only WNBA title in 2012.

Off the court, Catchings pays it forward with the Indianapolis community with her “Catch the Stars” Foundation. The nonprofit assists disadvantaged youth in the community by promoting fitness and literacy. The Factory even hosted Catchings’ youth basketball camp over the holiday season.

Shortly after Catchings retired, she rejoined the franchise in the front office.

A year after announcing her retirement, Catchings joined Pacers Sports & Entertainment as the director of player programs and franchise development.

This past season Catchings was named as the Fever’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager.

Since Catchings retired, the Fever have struggled to recapture that magic. Now Catchings is charged with helping the team become a perennial WNBA powerhouse once again. With rising stars like Kelsey Mitchell and Teiara McCowen, the team hopes to build a young core that can compete in the coming years.

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THE FACTORY IS BUSY PROVIDING A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE WORLD’S BEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS.

CHECK OUT THE CONNECTICUT SUN'S TEAM HAVING A LITTLE FUN AT THE FACTORY

While the Fever and the rest of WNBA celebrate the league’s 25th season, The Factory is busy providing a welcoming environment for the world’s best women’s basketball players. Avid followers of the Fever may notice a familiar venue on the team’s social media pages. Scroll through the Fever’s Instagram, and you may spot The Factory’s yellow steel beams or a banner of Marquis Teague in the background.

With ongoing renovations to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Fever organization must be

flexible to find different locations to play around Central Indiana. Since mid-June, the Fever have played home games at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Throughout the season, The Factory has been one of many practice venues for the Fever.

Other WNBA players and franchises have practiced at The Factory throughout the season. Pros with ties to the Hoosier state like Phoenix G Skylar Diggins-Smith and Dallas G Ty Harris occasionally swing by during the offseason for individual workouts.

During the season, WNBA teams like the Seattle Storm, New York Liberty and Connecticut each practiced at The Factory when in town to take on the Fever.

Moving forward, Director Kwana Evans hopes that the Fever and visiting teams will make The Factory their preferred destination for practices and other events.

“We love the elite players and everybody coming through,” Evans said.

The WNBA’s 25th season continues through late September, with the playoffs beginning Sep. 23.

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PAYING IT FORWARD:

The Team Teague Foundation

By Josh Ayen

Thousands converge to The Factory every summer for the annual Team Teague Invitational.

While the attention is focused on basketball, the showcase also creates an opportunity for Team Teague to help the Indianapolis community.

Since Team Teague’s creation, the Teague family and associates have strived to give back to local kids and families. A portion of funds collected from the Team Teague Invitational go toward programs for the foundation.

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The Team Teague Foundation has several initiatives meant to work with the Indianapolis community. In the past, the foundation has hosted events such as: ·Food pantry donations ·Thanksgiving turkey giveaways ·Thanksgiving gift card giveaways ·Christmas toy giveaways One of the foundation’s favorite programs is the annual trick or treat at The Factory. Kids are invited to come in their costumes and get their fill of candy. The Factory CFO Carol Teagues says the program serves about 100 families, or 200 kids, every year.

The foundation also awards scholarships to students who plan to continue their education after high school. To be considered for the scholarship, a student must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and plan to enroll in college after high school. One of the first recipients of the foundation’s scholarship was Deja Porter, a Pike High School alum.

Other recipients include current staff member Taylor Hall and Christopher Robinson from Pike.

To learn more about the Team Teague foundation and its initiatives, visit TeamTeagueLLC.com.

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TheFactory D1indy

1 year later: The Factory guests, staff make the most out of a difficult year

By Josh Ayen

The Factory hosts dozens of marquee AAU tournaments every summer, but perhaps none as big as the Team Teague Invitational in midJune. If you are lucky, you can snatch a parking spot next to the building as another family heads out.

The rumble of squeaky shoes, bouncing basketballs and scoreboard buzzers grow louder as guests walk towards the main entrance.

After walking past the main entrance and through the D1 Training facility, guests walk in to see the action.

Parents, players and staff are lined up along all three courts, either watching the games unfold or waiting for their turn. Aside from the few parents that are still wearing masks, it almost feels like this AAU tournament is taking place in Summer 2019.

In the corner towards the NBA-regulation sized Court 1, a deejay blasts tracks from Migos and Drake. Just a few feet away Shawn Teague is barking out orders from the sideline as his team looks to pull away from their opponent.

On the opposite end towards Court 3, a Chicago-based AAU program, “Chi-Town Bulldogs,” is overwhelming their opponent. It helps that they have their own cheerleader section chanting “D up!” as kids hustle back on defense.

Finally, on Court 2, another Team Teague squad wearing jerseys that resemble the Seattle Seahawks are in a dogfight against a team from Meanstreets. Perhaps the most telling sign that life is coming back to normal is when a handful of parents scream in unison, “THAT’S A TRAVEL!” towards the referee.

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Director Kwana Evans believes that some good can come out of a bad situation when reflecting on the past year.

Around the same time last year, The Factory was weeks into their reopening after being shut down in the early months of the pandemic. There was concern that up to 40% of revenues were lost during those months, yet events quickly picked back up once staff were given the green light to reopen.

“Sometimes, when you quiet the storm then there’s sunshine later on,” Evans said.

The Factory was a prime destination that summer. AAU programs from neighboring states like Illinois were eager to find tournaments that had not been cancelled and travelled to Indiana. During a non-pandemic year, AAU rental season would last until late July or early August. Last year, The Factory booked tournaments through October.

Now those same programs are returning to The Factory a year later.

Staff were grateful for the opportunity to keep hosting events last year, yet the atmosphere felt hollow compared to a normal year. A limited number of teams, players and parents were allowed inside the building.

Guests were also required to wear masks and had to exit the building immediately after their game.

A few of those guidelines are still in place like capacity limits and urging non-vaccinated individuals to continue wearing a mask, but the buzz of AAU season is slowly returning in Indianapolis.

Looking ahead, Evans and the Teague family want to continue growing The Factory’s presence through private rentals. The Factory has hosted WNBA teams throughout the season and was even the site for USA Women’s Basketball’s U17 tryouts.

While private rentals are surging once again, Evans does not want to lose sight of what makes The Factory so popular in the Indianapolis community. The Teague family’s name and hosting high-profile athletes are great for marketing purposes, but Evans is just as committed to being a place for all age groups.

Bite size and youth leagues are where many kids start their basketball careers. Hosting these leagues are not only a great way to bring in the Indianapolis community, but it also builds long-term goodwill for families.

“What we are focusing on for the future is to bring more of those types of activities out and make sure that we can provide something for every age group to enjoy, have a good time and to learn most importantly.”

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