Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum is supporting Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark in her quest to surpass the NCAA scoring record Plum established in 2017.
Expressing her sentiments to ESPN’s Michael Voepel on Friday, Plum conveyed her gratitude in passing on the metaphorical baton and expressed her happiness for Clark. Plum concluded her Washington career, amassing 3,527 points in 139 games, thereby setting a new NCAA women’s basketball record.
Clark, currently in her senior year at Iowa, has accumulated 3,424 points across 122 career contests. She is projected to surpass Plum’s career total within the next four games.
Plum’s ascent to becoming the all-time leading scorer in women’s college basketball occurred in February 2017, a period she described to Voepel as a “very much a low point in my life.”
Having previously opened up about the mental health challenges she faced due to the pressure of breaking the record, Plum expressed her desire to ensure Clark doesn’t endure a similar struggle alone.
Reflecting on her own experience, Plum emphasized, “It felt like a lot of pressure, and my identity was kind of caught up in that record.” She urged the media to recognize Clark not merely as a basketball player but as a young woman with emotions, hoping that support extends beyond her on-court performance.
Plum, having dealt with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts during her pursuit of the record, encourages everyone to show Clark love outside of her basketball achievements, expressing excitement for her inevitable success.
When Clark surpassed Jackie Stiles and Kelsey Mitchell on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list during Iowa’s 110-74 victory over Northwestern, she shared her enthusiasm about nearing Plum’s record. Clark mentioned the significance of being associated with players she admired while growing up, such as Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner, and Kelsey Mitchell.
If Clark maintains her current scoring pace of over 30 points per game, she could potentially break Plum’s record on either Sunday, Feb. 11, against Nebraska, or Thursday, Feb. 15, versus Michigan.
