By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Daniel Plumer (Fy., PG, North Las Vegas, NV/Democracy Preparatory Academy) is only 18 games into his first season of playing college basketball, but he's already made an impression on fans of the Willamette University Bearcats. He has scored in double figures 16 times, including six games with 20 or more points. He scored a career-high 30 points against nationally-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University on Nov. 30.
Plumer, who is known as DJ to his coaches and teammates, has taken on a significant role on offense following the graduation of standout player Jordan Jenkins ('19) and point guard Trent Callan ('19), plus the loss of top returning scorer Jonathan Watts (So., G, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) due to injury. It's not easy being a first-year player at the point guard position, but Plumer has been able to complete his duties as a floor leader, while also ranking first on the team in scoring. He has averaged 16.7 points per game, and ranks eighth in the Northwest Conference in scoring. He is one of three Bearcats with double-digit scoring averages.
"I've been very impressed with DJ's willingness to compete night in and night out and shoulder the scoring burden for us," Willamette Head Coach Kip Ioane said. "He puts in a ton of time on his own in Henkle Gymnasium to earn that trust from us."
During Plumer's high-scoring game against Nebraska Wesleyan, he was 11 of 20 on field goals, while hitting a career-high six 3-pointers on 11 attempts. He set another career-high with seven rebounds against NWU, a total he recently matched against the University of Puget Sound.
He scored 28 points in the game versus Puget Sound, while connecting on 10 of 19 field goals. Several of his baskets against the Loggers were spectacular. He has provided a variety of solid moves on the floor this season, along with the athletic ability to create an acrobatic shot when needed. He can score consistently from a number of spots on the floor.
Plumer earned 23 points in back-to-back games on consecutive days versus Pacific Lutheran University and Linfield College in mid-January. He started his career by earning 20 points against Montclair State University in the season opener on Nov. 9, and then followed up with 20 points against crosstown rival Corban University in the second game of the season.
In addition to leading the Bearcats in scoring, Plumer also ranks first on the team with 49 assists. He is averaging 2.7 assists per game. He has accumulated a team-high 42 steals on defense and leads the NWC with 2.3 steals per game. He seems to often be in the right location to rebound the ball, even against much taller defensive players. He ranks third on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game.
While Plumer has stood out as one of the NWC's top players, two other Willamette first-year players, Cade Whicker (Fy., F, Fruit Heights, UT/Davis HS) and Jack Boydell (Fy., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) also have made impressive contributions for the Bearcats.
Whicker trails only Plumer on this year's WU scoring chart and is averaging 13.1 points per game. He is second on the team with 7.0 rebounds per contest, and is third with 17 steals. Whicker ranks second on the team with 33 three-point baskets. He has the ability to score both inside the paint and from long-range, making him a key threat on offense.
So far, Whicker has scored in double figures 12 times, with 18 or more points six times. He earned a career-high 22 points against Montclair State on opening night and also scored 22 points at Whitman College on Jan. 11. He registered a career-high 15 rebounds against Puget Sound. Whicker is listed fourth in the NWC in rebounding, one spot behind teammate Ben Sutton (Jr., F, Seattle, WA/Ingraham HS), who has averaged 7.3 rebounds per game.
"Cade's ceiling for where he could end up as a player is very high. We knew about his shooting ability as a recruit, but he's been very impressive as a rebounder and a guy who can create driving lanes," Ioane said.
Boydell has started to increase his production on the floor, with double-digit scoring in four of Willamette's past five games. At Pacific University on Jan. 24, he was successful on 13 of 15 field goals on his way to scoring a career-high 32 points, which is the team high for one player this season. Against the Boxers, he converted 6 of 7 three-pointers. He also hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds. Ironically, he scored all of his points without making a single trip to the free throw line.
"JB is a gym rat," Ioane noted. "He wants to be in the gym. He wants to shoot 100s of shots a day, and that extra work paid off in a big way for him at Pacific."
Willamette's exceptional first-year standouts will be on the court when the Bearcats return to action on Saturday, Feb. 1 against George Fox University at Cone Field House. Game time for the NWC match-up is set for 6 p.m. (PST).
