Kelsey Plum wants to develop the next generation of ‘dawgs’

BRADENTON, Fla. — Raven Johnson reaches for a steal at the top of the key, poking the ball free. MiLaysia Fulwiley is a blur in transition, completing a behind-the-back finish at the basket that elicits oohs and aahs from the crowd — and expletives from the bench — while Johnson tells her no one can guard her.

There’s Aziaha James and Kate Martin splashing 3s in transition, Saniya Rivers bringing the energy on both ends, and Nika Mühl glaring at a referee as a defender tries to petition for a moving screen.

Two weeks after the national semifinals, echoes of the Final Four reverberate at IMG Academy. Instead of the packed crowds and bright lights of Cleveland, this gym is mostly empty. This is the quiet work that will get these players back to the bright lights next season, or to whatever stage is next in their careers.

In the middle of every drill and scrimmage is Kelsey Plum, the WNBA All-Star who has caused these collegiate stars to flock to Florida mere days after the WNBA Draft and the end of their NCAA seasons. This is the second iteration of her annual Dawg Class, designed to bring together the best guards in the country, the ones who aspire to be a pro like her. Whether the WNBA awaits in a matter of weeks, months or years, Plum wants to make sure she aids in the process of getting these players to the next phase of their basketball journeys.

This year’s group included Johnson, Fulwiley, James, Rivers, Martin, Mühl, KK Arnold, Azzi Fudd, Georgia Amoore, Dyaisha Fair, Ta’Niya Latson and Shyanne Sellers.

“When I came out of college, I was kind of on an island in terms of my understanding for the WNBA, my understanding for that transition and what it took,” Plum said. “My idea was really to just help.”

DAWG CLASS DAY 3: THE RECAP pic.twitter.com/Ga19cnsZ3C

— WSLAM (@wslam) April 22, 2024

The Dawg Class, which is sponsored by Under Armour Next, invites college guards to train with Plum but also gain access to her entire network of resources. Over the weekend, in addition to on-court workouts and live games, the players had sessions with Plum’s performance coach Susan King Borchardt, her mental preparation coach David Elaimy and her trainer Noah Laroche.

Plum also reiterated that if the participants could benefit from connecting with someone else, she was happy to make an introduction.

“If you don’t get what you need here, I do know a lot of people,” Plum said. “Last year, Raven Johnson was like, ‘Hey, Chelsea Gray is my favorite player.’ I’m like, great, I know Chelsea Gray, let’s connect you, because I really do believe that this is a community and this is a strength that we have in women’s basketball, but I don’t think we use it to our benefit.”

With a wide variety of assets available to her, and now the campers, Plum wants to make the Dawg Class a holistic event that provides something for everyone.

For Johnson, the 2023 camp was the birth of her revenge tour. She came out of the 2023 Final Four doubting herself after South Carolina lost to Iowa and benefited from Plum’s mentality of being a “dawg” and pushing through adversity. The lessons with Elaimy helped her believe in herself again.

“(Elaimy) was telling me, you gotta do things more than just basketball to help with your mental health,” Johnson said. “I took accountability in that and I did a lot of things to help my mental health grow. He was talking about confidence with me last year — the stuff he was saying to me, I took those words of encouragement for the season. I think that my confidence has grown a lot from last year to this year.”

With a better understanding of her mental approach, Johnson came to her second camp with a different focus: She wanted to learn from Plum’s footwork, specifically how she gets downhill no matter what the defense is doing. Johnson wants to grow her basketball IQ and read defenders rather than relying on her athleticism to get by on offense.

At 5-foot-8, Johnson is similar in size to Plum, which makes Plum’s movements on the court a useful blueprint. Georgia Amoore found herself following the Aces star for the same reason. Amoore is another two-time member of the Dawg Class who craves as much instruction from Plum as possible to figure out how small guards can succeed in the WNBA.

“I’ve always been a massive Kelsey fan, and I think a lot of my stature and stuff resonates with her,” Amoore said. “If I can get one-on-one time, watch how she operates … that was gonna be the biggest benefit for me.”

Though their listed heights may have been a bit generous, Amoore, who is 5-6, and Dyaisha Fair, who is 5-5, were particularly in tune with Plum’s footwork on drives, how she positions the ball, and the angles of her finishes. It was clear the pair were mimicking those exercises in five-on-five, knowing the uphill battle that awaits them in the pros.

For Fair, that challenge is coming soon. Four days before arriving in Bradenton, she was drafted by Las Vegas, along with Martin. The duo were grateful for any tips on how to stick in the WNBA, especially as second-round picks, but they received the added advantage of getting some insight into the Aces organization.

“The talent that’s coming in the W is so good, but they don’t even get a chance to develop because of the external circumstances,” Plum said. “Dyaisha Fair and Kate Martin, they’re gonna try to go make the Aces roster. They’re tremendous basketball players. What if this week I can at least help them prep? Hey, this is what training camp’s like. This is what Becky (Hammon) loves. This is how you should come in, and it has nothing to do with hitting a jump shot.”

One player who couldn’t even take a jumper during the weekend was Fudd, who is rehabbing the ACL she tore in November. Yet the UConn guard was eager to return to Plum’s camp to check in with Borchardt to make sure she was taking care of her body. In addition to leading pre- and post-workout sessions, Borchardt watched all of the basketball action to make sure she and her team had performance plans in place for each athlete.

Fudd has resources for rehab available at UConn. But coming back from injury can be isolating. Getting to be around Plum, who has been through similar challenges, was an additional source of motivation. Fudd said she doesn’t like seeking out help, but knowing that a WNBA athlete she admires leans on her whole team makes it easier.

“She has been through a lot of the struggles that we’re going through,” Fudd said. “Her opening up and being vulnerable with us is really valuable, at least for me. The stuff I’m going through, I’m not alone. I have her. I have other resources. Her sharing her stories and her transition to the league and how she was really going through it, and how the mental side really helped, that’s something that I really want to work on. Just knowing that it’s OK to talk to people and have that kind of help and ask for help.”

The campers all had an opportunity to make bracelets with a word that set their intention for the weekend, and Fudd chose “unbreakable.” After everything her body has gone through, she wanted to remind herself that she’s still strong and still in this echelon of players.

DAWG OF THE CLASS: Saniya Rivers (@Ihoop___22) pic.twitter.com/yub6GIhEtJ

— WSLAM (@wslam) April 21, 2024

That’s part of the magic Plum was trying to create with the Dawg Class. She wants players to be excited when they get invited, to think of it as an honor. And once they’re at camp, even though she can direct them to what they need, Plum wants to be that primary resource. She’s heartened that members of the 2023 Dawg Class heeded her suggestion to watch more film and updated their strength and conditioning regimens on her recommendation. She stays in touch with them throughout the season, noting that she watched so much of Virginia Tech in 2023-24 that her mom might like Amoore more than her.

As Plum says, the Dawg Class isn’t a one-stop shop. The 12 players who attended are in her corner; she wants to maintain relationships with them and be whatever they need moving forward. Even as collegiate competitors, the players are all interested in learning and helping one another, too.

“The vibes are good, and none of these girls are envious or jealous,” Amoore said. “We’re competitive, but it’s not ugly. We want the best for each other, obviously. And I think especially in women’s sport, you have to be competitive, but you can’t cause unnecessary (issues), because we’re trying to build something bigger than what it is.”

By bringing the players together, Plum is helping them achieve more as a collective than what they could alone. As they jumpstart their work for the 2024-25 season, there’s a good chance next year’s national champion once again features a player from the Dawg Class.

(Top photo of Kelsey Plum courtesy of Under Armour)