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SEATTLE — It was always a matter of when — not if — Washington would retire Kelsey Plum’s number. Eight years after she graduated, it happened.
At halftime of its game against Purdue on Saturday, Washington sent its first women’s jersey to the rafters, retiring the No. 10 that Plum wore for four years as she rewrote the school — and NCAA — record books.
“It just brings back so many memories,” Plum said. “I really feel so blessed to share this moment with my family. Life happens so fast. It feels like two weeks ago I was a senior here.”
Plum came to Seattle in 2014 and made an immediate impact, setting the program single-season scoring record as a freshman.
“Coach (Mike Neighbors) didn’t give me the green light; he gave me the freeway when I got here,” Plum said. “It was just like, ‘We’re going to have you just fail until you’re better than everyone,’ and that’s what happened. As a player, when your coach has that ultimate confidence in you, you go out there and there’s no fear.”
She broke her own single-season mark each of the next three years, breaking Jackie Stiles’ career record with a 57-point performance on Feb. 25, 2017 that still stands as the UW single-game record.
A Poway, California, native, Plum finished her career with 3,527 points after racking up 1,109 in 2017, both of which would stand as NCAA records until broken by Caitlin Clark last season.
Plum was picked first overall in the 2017 WNBA draft and has won two WNBA championships with the Las Vegas Aces, along with two Olympic gold medals. Last week, the Aces put a core designation on the impending free agent, bolstering rumors that she may be traded before the upcoming season.
Throughout the Huskies’ 87-58 win over the Boilermakers, Washington used timeouts to play messages from her Las Vegas teammates, former Huskies teammates and her family congratulating her on the recognition.
“I’ve never really been in it for that, I’ve just been in it for the pursuit of seeing how far I can take it.” Plum said. “I look back now and it is a really cool moment to look back and say, ‘Dang, that is a lot of points.’ I’d never really thought about it. I just appreciate that time of reflection.”
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