The San Antonio Stars have selected guard Kelsey Plum from the University of Washington with the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft on Thursday night.
While at the University of Washington, Plum averaged 31.7 points per game in her senior season. She was the highest scoring player in the history of NCAA Division I women’s basketball and scored a career-high 57 points against Utah on Feb. 25, 2017.
“We feel very fortunate to have been able to capitalize on our number one pick and acquire Kelsey Plum,” said Stars Head Coach Vickie Johnson via a press release. “We think that she will be able to contribute and expand her knowledge of the game, which has the potential to make her a standout player here in the WNBA, as she was in Washington. All of her recent accolades speak for themselves and we are confident that she will hold great value for our organization.”
She won several Player of the Year Awards in 2017 and scored 21 points in all 35 games she played in her final season with the Huskies. Plum has been compared to the likes of Stephen Curry and James Harden of the NBA.
The Stars have ranked last in offense for the past two seasons, averaging just 72 points per game. San Antonio went 7-27 last season and 14-54 the last two years. A player like Plum will definitely help the team offensively.
“It’s an honor to be a member of the Stars,” said Plum. “I’m a big fan of both Moriah [Jefferson] and Kayla’s [McBride] games. I’ve gotten the opportunity to play with Moriah twice and Kayla, I watched her play in college and the pros and she’s one of my favorite players. It’s special and I’m super excited. I’m going to go in and be super competitive and tough and see what happens.”
