Conversations surrounding the greatest tend to get complicated. And when it comes to talks around female athletes, sometimes those conversations are too often dismissed. Two lanes exist when debating the best. There’s the Greatest of All Time, and Greatest Woman of All Time. However, no such thing exists in Washington Huskies basketball lore. Kelsey Plum is the greatest. No qualifier needed.
Double takes and debates follow whenever you crown a G.O.A.T. But what acronym better befits Plum? Who, if
not her?
Up until Caitlin Clark’s takeover, Plum had scored more points than any player in NCAA history. The milestone alone is enough to ensure your name lives on in history. But how she went about it is how barriers break.
On Feb. 25, 2017, Plum woke up with 54 points left to surpass Jackie Stiles as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Barring injury, there was no doubt she’d eclipse the milestone by the time the season ended. Awaiting was the Utah Utes, a team that she scored 24 against in a blowout victory earlier in the month. That game was in Salt Lake City. Round 2 was on Montlake. The regular-season finale. Senior Day.
Reaching the milestone was inevitable, made possible by a consistent downpour of buckets during her four-year stay in Seattle. How you go about it is what defines your legend.
In the eyes of those in attendance, Plum’s legacy was already set in stone. It’d be amazing if she eclipsed the record on her home floor, but really, she had already done enough.
She was the face and leader of Washington’s Final Four run the previous season — the furthest either basketball program at the school has gone — doing so as a No. 7 seed.
The gritty Huskies became Cinderella as they began the tournament by handling No. 10 seed Pennsylvania, then toppling No. 2 seed Maryland, No. 3 Kentucky, and No. 4 Stanford to become the lowest seed to reach the Final Four in the previous 12 seasons. Plum scored 23 or more in all four victories, dished out at least seven assists, and logged 40 minutes in each contest.
Washington’s run ended against Syracuse, which fell to a different group of Huskies in a blowout loss to the UConn dynasty.
When Plum stepped on the hardwood for Senior Day, she was already the program’s all-time leading scorer. The Pac-12’s as well, notching the claim two months prior in December when erupting for 44 against Boise State. The college sports world didn’t know it yet, but the league once dubbed the Conference of Champions was living on borrowed time. It eventually collapsed as schools chose self-preservation over irrelevance. But conference realignment can’t change what’s set in stone: Plum’s achievement remains.
The Senior Day bout with the Utes tipped off. By the end, Plum had turned it into her Naming Day.
She was a woman possessed. Plum went 19-of-28 from the field and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. She was efficient at the free-throw line, going 13-of-16. No. 11 Washington needed every bit of it as Utah tried to play spoiler. Plum tied Stiles’ record with just under five minutes to go in the final quarter. Roughly 50 seconds later, Plum hit a runner to stand alone on the list.
The Huskies won 84-77, but the bigger story was what Plum had done: 57 points. Three shy of the NCAA’s single-game scoring record. She had snapped another record in the process, surpassing her own set one year prior: most points scored in a season by a Husky.
Plum and the Huskies went dancing again that season. Plum scored 29 against Montana State and 38 against Oklahoma before a career-ending loss to Mississippi State, where she scored 29. Unlike Syracuse, Mississippi State’s journey didn’t end with a loss to UConn. The Bulldogs reached the Final Four and stunned the Huskies in overtime, ending a 111-game winning streak. MSU then lost to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina squad, giving the legendary coach her first national championship and ushering in a new era of college hoops.
What’s most impressive about Plum’s career is that she lived up to the hype. UW was a feel-good underdog story for the national media when it reached the Final Four. But Plum is no diamond in the rough.
She wasn’t a five-star, but she was as good a prospect as any high schooler who’s pledged to Washington. The former four-star played prep ball at La Jolla Country Day in San Diego County. As a junior, she led the program to a CIF State Championship as LJCD went 32-1. The program peaked at No. 8 in the nation in USA Today and No. 4 on MaxPreps. Her other three seasons were successful as well, as she was a CIF San Diego Section champ all four years. Plum was a McDonald’s All-American and won gold with Team USA in the U-19 World Championships.
The expectation was that she’d make an immediate impact at Washington when arriving as a freshman. She immediately exceeded that by becoming a captain and one of the best true freshmen in the country.
Plum was a phenom. The 23 points she scored in her debut against St. Mary’s on the road were just a sign of things to come. The result of the outing was a 91-81 defeat for the Huskies. The positive takeaway: Plum might somehow be better than advertised.
That would go on to be an understatement, as by the time the season concluded, she had set the program’s single-season scoring record, logging 712 total points, a Pac-12 freshman record. She notched the claim by pouring in 20.9 points per game, failing to score in double figures just once in a span of 34 games. The campaign would become the most forgettable of her four seasons donning purple and gold.
Plum entered her sophomore season atop every opponent’s scouting report. Not that it mattered. She opened the season by torching Oklahoma for 45 points and setting a program record for most scored in a single game. She broke her own scoring record, finishing with 746 points as she led the Pac-12 by putting up 22.6 per outing. Her output ranked seventh in the nation.
After two seasons, Plum’s trajectory was clear. One day, her jersey would be retired and hang from the rafters. It was a sign that expectations had shifted. Once viewed as a potential star, she was on the verge of immortality.
Nowadays, when you step inside Hec Edmondson Pavilion, you’ll look up and see it. A purple banner with her #10 jersey and last name written in gold. It’s her legacy looking down at you, not on you. A challenge, not a condescending stare: try to reach these heights.
The heights aren’t just the Final Four run or the 57-point record-breaking night. It’s the consistent brilliance.
Plum continued the trend of breaking her own records as a junior, finishing the year with 960 total points. Her 25.9 points per night were good for first in the Pac-12 and fourth in the nation. She became the fastest player in Pac-12 history to reach 2,000 points, seventh fastest in NCAA history. After the regular season concluded, the greatest tournament run in program history left her in college basketball’s spotlight. Plum could’ve turned pro after the season. There was a moment when former head coach Mike Neighbors thought she was going to. But Plum’s story wasn’t finished.
“The Year of the Plum” called for celebration in New Hampshire. It was a 2024 declaration that plums would return in full force after a cold snap had wiped out most of the state’s crop the previous year.
Plum’s decision to remain at Washington had a similar effect.
Fresh off a Final Four, Plum’s return for her senior season saw the best version of her. She posted career highs in field-goal percentage, along with assists and rebounds per game. It was her best season as a scorer as well, averaging 31.7 points per game. Those numbers, along with 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists, earned her the AP Player of the Year award. Not only was she the all-time scoring leader, but she broke the single-season scoring record with 1,109 points, along with the 33-year-old career free-throw record with 912. She racked up honors that crowned her the best college basketball player.
Plum still had history to make after playing her final game at Washington. That April, she became the first Husky basketball player to be drafted No. 1 overall when the San Antonio Stars selected her with the first pick in the WNBA Draft. Months later, Markelle Fultz would become the second, going No. 1 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Draft.
Plum’s popularity has only grown since dominating at Washington. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star, a one-time Sixth Player of the Year, a one-time All-WNBA First Team selection, and a two-time champion with the Las Vegas Aces. Last season was her first with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she averaged 19.5 points. She is a gold medalist and a face of women’s basketball.
Sports have a way of creating folklore. It’s why we get so attached. Different programs have different stories to tell. On Montlake, it goes like this:
Plant the right seed in the right soil, and a Plum blooms into the greatest of all time.
