The Details: For Plum, Dad, Dog Key To Free Throw Success
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Kelsey Plum was taught a very simple lesson at an early age when it comes to shooting free throws: “They’re free, so you should make them.”
Sometimes, though, it takes a little extra reinforcement to really make the point stick.
Growing up, her dad, Jim, provided the incentive. Every evening, father and daughter would have a free-throw contest. The loser was tasked with cleaning up after Riley Jane, the family’s Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.
“When we would shoot, it would always be for the dog poop,” said Plum, who recently set a Pac-12 record by making 35 consecutive free throws.
By the time she was 10, Washington’s standout point guard made a decision.
“I’m not picking up any more dog poop,” she told herself at the time.
Looking back on it now, she laughs.
“That was my big motivator shooting free throws,” she said.
To make things a little more difficult, Jim did whatever he could to distract his daughter. He would clap. He would make noise. He would run up to Kelsey and lift up his shirt as she was shooting.
“He would get this close to your face and breathe on you,” said Plum, demonstrating during a recent practice just how close he would get.
Jim tried anything he could to break his daughter’s concentration.
Plum learned how to block out the distractions. These days, “when we’re playing games, I don’t really hear anything when I shoot. Not a lot bothers me, because he really bothered me.”
Over time, Plum was consistently making all 10 free throws in their competitions. She won so often, her father would sometimes cede victory before they started.
“Sometimes he wouldn’t even shoot for it,” she said. “He would just go pick it up.”
Through 28 games, Plum is making better than 90 percent of her free throws. Instead of her father and the threat of cleaning up after Riley Jane, the sophomore now blocks out opposing fans and sinks shots with the payoff being Pac-12 wins as the Huskies work toward a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Even more impressive than her free-throw percentage is the volume of shots she takes. She has attempted 193 this season, making 174.
“In high school my coach really emphasized, if your shot’s not falling, get to the line,” Plum said. “My shot is not falling as often as I’d want it to, so I try to get to the line as much as possible.”
Making free throws in the backyard helped her build a foundation. But she still believes she can get better.
She works to make “a couple hundred” each day, breaking them up into sets of 25.
“When I shoot them, I try to shoot as many as I can in a row, that way it’s more like a game,” she said.
“Every game is separate. Every free throw is separate. Just step up there and make a shot.”
After making 100 shots, she goes to work on another aspect of her game. She finishes her free throw work after practice.
“That’s what I always try to do,” she said.
Each time Washington takes the floor, Plum does everything she can to get to the line.
Free throws are like “a second timeout,” she said. It is a way for players to gather themselves, refocus and pick up points. With every free throw opportunity, Plum believes “there’s no way I should miss this.”
She has attempted so many shots from the line she doesn’t have to think about her routine. As she prepares for each free throw the only thing running through her mind is, “we need these two points.”
When Plum learned she had set a Pac-12 record for consecutive free throws made, she had no idea she was approaching a milestone. When it comes to stats, she doesn’t pay much attention.
Her primary concern is helping the Huskies win. She learned at an early age free throws go a long way toward determining a game’s outcome. Her father and Riley Jane made sure she would never forget that lesson.
“Every game is separate,” she said. “Every free throw is separate. Just step up there and make a shot.”
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