HUTCHINSON, Minn. - Nineteen years ago this month, in November 1999, a Hutchinson High School senior named Lindsay Whalen signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Minnesota.
That signature set everything else in motion.
During her stellar college and professional playing career -- and now her newfound coaching career with the Gophers -- Whalen has always been an immense source of pride in her hometown of 14,000, about an hour west of Minneapolis.
On Tuesday night, Hutchinson named its recently renovated gym after their hometown hero, dubbing it "Whalen Gymnasium."
Hutchinson was never surprised by Whalen's success. She broke the all-time state scoring record in high school and led her Tigers to three conference championships.
Her legacy remains an inspiration for current Tigers, even though most members of the team weren't even born when Whalen donned their jersey from 1996 to 2000.
Liza Wortz, a senior guard on this 2018-19 team, said she's always looked up to Whalen.
"All the hard work she did paid off," Wortz said. "She came from this town, so if she can do it, why can't I?"
Michaela Stamer, a junior guard, echoed her teammate's thoughts.
"All the work she put in, it makes us want to work harder," Stamer said.
As a tribute to Whalen, the team decided to wear #13 jerseys during warm-ups on Tuesday night.
"Just so everyone knows that she's here," Wortz said, "And that it's her gym now."