Lindsey Pluimer’s game is all about versatility.
The 6-foot-4-inch forward is a solid post player with great rebounding skills. She has a jump shot and she can run through screens to create an open look. That versatility is a big reason why Pluimer has started every game for the women’s basketball team since 2005.
But this year, Pluimer has had to show a wholly different type of versatility: She’s had to become a leader.
“Lindsey will always be the first one to practice, she’ll get in extra shots, an extra workout, but what she is really trying to do this year is articulate things and speak up more,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “She’s just so much better at it now, and this team really looks up to her.”
In her first three seasons on the women’s basketball team, Pluimer let her game do the talking. The Bruins didn’t really need a leader; they had All-Americans Noelle Quinn, Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis.
Quinn, Blue and Willis had all graduated by 2007, though. Pluimer was left as the only senior on the squad as the program entered a new era with the addition of six new freshmen.
“Being the lone senior, it’s been kind of challenging,” Pluimer said.
“I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone. Typically I lead by example. This year I have to be more vocal on and off the court.”
Everyone knew Pluimer could play. She held on her own on three very talented Bruin teams, averaging 10 points per game as a junior and shooting almost 50 percent from the field.
But Olivier had no idea Pluimer would be such an able leader.
“At the beginning of the season, when we first started, I thought, “˜Oh gosh, this is going to be a long year,'” Olivier said. “But Pluimer’s maturity has allowed her to embrace this role.”
It wasn’t easy from the start.
It took Pluimer a little while to develop her leadership, and it took the team a while to find an identity. UCLA lost six of seven games at one point and began the conference season in a slump.
But after an upset of No. 7 Stanford, the Bruins started to bounce back. Now the Bruins (9-8, 4-2 Pac-10) have won four of their last five games and sit in third place in the Pac-10.
“That Stanford game was an indication that we can play with the best and that we can beat the best,” Pluimer said. “But we know we have to play that way every game. That’s what good teams do.”
UCLA looks like a much more dangerous team than it did one month ago, and Pluimer’s leadership is a huge factor as the Bruins enter the most crucial stretch of their season, beginning Saturday at USC (10-7, 3-3 Pac-10).
With Cal, Arizona State and Stanford sitting atop the Pac-10 standings, UCLA and USC could be battling for the last NCAA Tournament bid the conference receives.
While Olivier and her staff have tried to focus only on individual games because of the inexperience of the team, Pluimer is savvy enough to understand the big picture on her own.
“It becomes a numbers game,” Pluimer said. “Each win accumulates, and then you get your 20 wins and you get into the tournament. You don’t want to be on that bubble. If you wait until the Pac-10 tournament, then it’s “˜Oh, we have to win the Pac-10 tournament.’ Hopefully we’re not relying on that.
“I really try to help the underclassmen understand how important each game is. Whoever it is that we play, it matters.”
It’s no surprise that Pluimer’s teammates appreciate every bit of advice she gives. Even this year, as the team has moved to a faster pace and added post players who have forced Pluimer to shift around, Pluimer’s play has been steady. She’s averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
And those abilities on the court are a big part of what makes Pluimer an ideal leader for this team.
“When vocalness is needed, Lindsey is very vocal,” freshman Doreena Campbell said. “But she is very much a leader by example. The things that she does on the court ““ most of us other players just tend to follow what she does.”
The whole story of Pluimer’s season, her transformation and willingness to lead certainly begs a question about her future: Does she want to be a coach?
“My dad, coach Olivier ““ everyone tells me to do coaching,” Pluimer said. “I don’t know. Coaches really devote their lives to it; you have to be very committed. They’re constantly traveling and recruiting. … We’ll see, I don’t know for sure. We’ll see.”
Before making any decision about a coaching career, Pluimer is focused on her future in professional basketball, either in the U.S. or overseas.
She knows plenty about the WNBA, and she has talked about the league with Quinn, who currently plays for the Minnesota Lynx. They’ve spoken about how challenging the league is, how much faster the players are at the professional level.
Pluimer is willing to adjust to whatever opportunity she can find.
“I can do only what I can control,” Pluimer said. “I’ve worked the hardest I can work. I have no regrets. Whatever happens, happens. If the WNBA needs me, great. If not, I’ll go overseas.
“I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Pluimer has started in 117 games as a Bruin and has already scored over 1,000 points.
She helped the 2006 Bruin team to a Pac-10 championship, and she’s trying to lead this team back to the NCAA Tournament.
But it’s Pluimer’s versatility that will always stand out the most.
“She’s gotten out of her comfort zone,” Olivier said. “That’s what great players do.”