Utah Guard Alfonso Plummer Picking Up Where He Left Off Last Season
Prior to Thursday night, the last time Utah fans saw Alfonso Plummer on the basketball court was nine months ago.
Although it was a game the Utes wouldn't want to remember as the result — a 71-69 loss to Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament — ended their season, there was one massive bright spot.
Then-junior Alfonso Plummer had his coming out party when he poured in 35 points and a Pac-12 record 11 made three-pointers. Plummer single-handedly kept the Utes in the game by knocking 68% of his three-pointers in the game but in the end, it was a three-pointer by Oregon State's Jarod Lucas that proved to be the difference.
Mar 11, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) gestures after being fouled on a 3-point shooting attempt during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Although he played in 26 games and averaged 15.2 minutes per game, Plummer broke out over the final three weeks of the season. He scored in double figures in five of those six games, averaging 18.9 points on 55.7% shooting from beyond the arc in 26.3 minutes per game.
"My teammates trust me,'' Plummer said following the loss to Oregon State. ''They give me the ball to shoot open shots.''
So after coming on so hot at the end of the season, there was speculation whether or not Plummer would be able to continue that hot shooting into this year. Forty minutes into his senior season and it's safe to say that the way Plummer ended last season is the way he's going to play this year.
He finished with 21 points and four made three's in leading Utah to a 76-62 victory over Washington — as the deficit make the final score a lot more respectable than what it was.
Dec 3, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) reacts after a three-point basket in the second half against the Washington Huskies at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
“I think we got off to a sluggish start to start the game,” Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said on Thursday. “Sometimes that Washington zone can do that to you, but I thought we did a really good job overall.”
Like Krystkowiak said, Plummer and the team got off to a slow start but once they found their legs and rhythm on offense, the Utes became nearly unstoppable. Their depth was apparent with Plummer and junior Timmy Allen (14 points, eight rebounds and four assists) doing most of the damage and others contributing all over the court.
“We have a good team this year,” said Plummer, the only senior on Utah’s roster. “We have a complete package.”
Apart from his shooting, Plummer showed massive strides on the other side of the floor. While his individual man-to-man defense still needs work, Plummer was flying around everywhere on the court, getting into passing lanes and disrupting Washington's flow of the gam to finish with four steals.
Dec 3, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) steals the ball from Washington Huskies guard RaeQuan Battle (21) in the second half at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Utah returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Idaho State at 6:30 p.m. The Utes will then travel to Provo on Saturday to face hated-rival BYU, with tipoff still TBD.
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