Fresno State Athletics
Her Time's Near
1/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2004
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Fresno Bee reporter Jeff Davis
Any day now.
That's the word on Jasmine Plummer, Fresno State's lanky freshman guard and flare off the bench for the women's basketball team.
Any day now she'll have that breakout game.
Any day now she'll realize the enormous potential that family, coaches and teammates long have seen in this 6-foot, lightning-quick natural for the sport.
"Jasmine's athleticism sets her apart from the normal female player," Bulldogs junior guard Veronica Mack says. "She might hold back because she's a freshman. But she doesn't need to."
Fresno State coach Stacy Johnson-Klein pays Plummer the highest compliment when she says:
"Jasmine has more of a guy's game in her. Street ball, in a positive way. We're all waiting for her to have a monster game. It might come this year. It might not. I think she'll finally flourish when she gets comfortable with our system."
The 18-year-old Plummer has played, if not spectacularly, then at least like someone who was born into the Division I level.
Of Fresno State's five first-year players, the former Natomas High standout has played the most consistently, showing at times flashes of brilliance. Tuesday's victory over Denver was a prime example of what she does best: 12 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
During a 2-minute stretch at the game's outset, she was all over the court. She stole a pass and scored a layup. Blocked a shot at the other end. Dished off to Paige Diggs for a layup, then stole the ball again and drove the length of the court to score.
"I can see each game Jasmine coming into her own," Johnson-Klein says.
As the Bulldogs head into the Western Athletic Conference season Saturday against Hawaii, Plummer is averaging 7 points and 6.4 rebounds, with a team-leading 22 steals and 21 assists and eight blocks.
Any day now, it is whispered, she'll put it all together into that one terrific performance that could launch a career as one of the WAC's premier players.
"That's my goal," says Plummer, a four-year starter at Natomas and the Sierra Foothill League MVP her senior season. "I don't want to be one of the best. I want to be the best."
First step is believing
The problem for Plummer always has been a lack of confidence.
The daughter of a single parent, she didn't meet her dad until she was 12 years old. Her mother, Joanie Armstrong, often had to leave Jasmine and older sister De-Shana with relatives while she worked days for a medical insurance company.
Plummer's life was fractured, she admits, but she was loved. The same couldn't be said of her high school basketball team. Constantly in turmoil. A different coach each year, ever-changing roles, no one to take her by the shoulders and instruct, "You da girl. Just do it."
Plummer's psyche took another hit after she signed to play at Nevada last year. Yet another coaching change. She asked for and was given her release, allowing her exit in Reno and setting up her entrance to Fresno State.
Then there was the transition from high school to college, a huge leap even for the most talented. It can play mind games on teenagers. Just ask Bulldogs freshman center Brittani Green.
"All of a sudden you have to make adjustments playing at a higher level," Green says. "You need patience, to relax and let the game come to you. It's not so easy. You get anxious trying to please everybody."
Plummer says she felt overwhelmed at first. But once practices started, she felt a sense of family, of belonging, that washed away her fears and insecurities.
"I think I've handled myself well so far," Plummer says. "It's tough. You have to work hard here, something I never did in high school. I just go in and try to contribute any way I can."
Johnson-Klein has taken a cautious approach to Plummer's development. The plan: bring her off the bench, provide significant minutes and let things take a natural course.
"I'm comfortable with my role," Plummer says. "Minutes don't matter to me."
The main reason Johnson-Klein has pulled back the reins on Plummer is the fact that she tried starting her other newcomers -- Diggs, Green, Lauren Selmon and Nikki Wilson -- early in the season and learned quickly they weren't ready.
"They were like deer in the headlights," the coach says. "They were foul-happy, turnover-happy, trying to compensate for their lack of experience.
"Maybe Jasmine is ready to start. I didn't think so at first. But I really like her off the bench because she's like a secret weapon. She can sit there and take in the game, get a feel for it and know what to do once she gets in."
Junior forward Aritta Lane, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, calls Plummer a "diamond in the rough" who has quietly helped the team win six of 10 games.
"She reminds me of me as a freshman," says Lane, who didn't blossom until this season. "Coaches know you can do so many things, but they don't want to pressure you. What I've seen is someone who is smart on the court and makes good choices. She's definitely a player."
The day draws closer
Louise Armstrong always held the belief that her granddaughter one day would make the family proud. She told her this frequently. Told her, "Basketball is your ticket to college."
"Jasmine," her grandmother stressed, "you will graduate. You're the last of my grandchildren, my last hope. Go, get out of Sacramento, make something of yourself."
In late September, Plummer's "best friend" died. But Louise Armstrong's words of encouragement will live in Plummer's heart forever. They have already served as inspiration.
"It was devastating. Grandma was my biggest supporter," says Plummer, tears rolling down her cheeks. "There were times I wanted to quit basketball, and she persuaded me to stick with it. I'm playing this season for her."
If Louise Armstrong were here, she probably would tell her granddaughter, "No, don't play for me. Play for yourself. You've always had the talent. Your time is now."
Plummer wipes the streaks from her face and smiles. She says just the thought of her grandmother helps her confidence grow. Deep down, Plummer knows she's close to that breakout game.
"I won't sacrifice my ability to get others the ball and get the team going," she says. "But I need to start changing my mentality. To become more of a scoring threat, something our team needs right now."
Any day now. Words, repeated ad nauseam, that appear to be finally sinking in.
"It's league time, and I expect myself to open up more and branch out," Plummer says. "I'm starting to see that I'm now in a situation where I can be the player everyone has told me I can be."
