Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum says she is excited for Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark to break her NCAA career scoring record.
Clark enters Saturday’s game against Maryland (8 p.m. ET, Fox) 104 points from breaking Plum’s mark of 3,527 points she set playing for Washington from 2013 to 2017.
‘I’m actually very grateful to pass that baton. I’m very happy for her,’ Plum said.
Clark is averaging a nation’s leading 32.1 points, to go along with 7.7 assists and 7.0 rebounds this season for Iowa (20-2).
Plum said at the time when she was pursuing the record, previously held by Southwest Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles, she felt the pressure of being in the spotlight.
‘I remember, to be honest, [the record] was very much a low point in my life,’ Plum said. ‘It felt like a lot of pressure, and my identity was kind of caught up in that record. I hope everyone in the media takes time to understand that [Clark] is not just a basketball player but a young woman that has feelings and emotions. She carries it with grace, but there’s a lot to handle there.
‘If anything, make sure that we show her love outside of her performance. She’ll break it. I’m excited for her.’
Clark could enter the WNBA draft in April or return to school for a fifth year, taking advantage of the COVID-19 waiver instituted in the 2020 season.