Plum making her mark at Washington
There is only one number that matters to Poway native Kelsey Plum — the one in the win column.
In her 2 1/2 seasons at Washington, the women’s basketball team is 59-29, including 16-5 this season and a recent ranking of No. 25 in the nation.
“I want to help the team,” said Plum, the former La Jolla Country Day star.
Plum helps the Huskies by scoring, averaging 27 points a game this season and leading the nation with 166 free throws made.
Friday at Stanford, she became the third player in Washington’s 41-year women’s basketball history to score 2,000 career points.
“I’ve been asked to score,” Plum said. “Coach (Mike) Neighbors gets mad if I pass an opportunity to score.
“We have a team that shoots well with good spacing. So that leads to lanes for me to drive.
“But I like to pass. I like to rebound. I like bringing energy to every game I play.”
With eight regular-season games to play and hopefully a deep postseason run, Plum is on pace to become the first player in school history to score 3,000 points.
The Huskies were 20-14 Plum’s freshman season and 23-10 last season. The Washington women had one 20-win season in the previous nine before she arrived.
“I had to answer a lot of questions about choosing to play at Washington,” Plum said. “People said if I was so good why wasn’t I going to Stanford or Tennessee.
“Those programs have a lot going for them, but they were already established. I wanted a good program that was on the rise, a program I could help get to the top.”
Washington last won a conference title in 2000-01. The Huskies haven’t finished higher than fourth in the conference since 2003-04.
Plum received a great high school foundation at La Jolla Country Day. The Torreys went 103-22 in her four varsity seasons, winning four straight San Diego Section Division IV titles and a state championship in 2011-12 when the team went 32-1.
“La Jolla Country Day is the reason I’m here,” Plum said. “Terri Bamford is the most amazing coach and women I’ve ever known.
“The program breeds excellence. It’s why my transition to college ball was so smooth.”
Maffei writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune