SEATTLE — In Washington’s one-point win over Purdue last week, Emily Florence finished her night making one of eight shots.
Florence’s performance that night may have been the greatest three-point effort in Washington women’s basketball history, and was demonstrative of just how important the senior point guard is to the Huskies as they open Pac-10 play at California on Friday.
On a night when she wasn’t making shots, Florence was coming up big with nine rebounds, five assists and five steals, while doing tons of little things that never found their way onto the stat sheet. If she wasn’t diving on the floor after a loose ball, she was chasing down an opposing player to prevent a game-clinching layin in the final seconds.
“Rebounds, defense, you name it,” Washington coach Tia Jackson said, “The only stat that’s really recorded are the rebounds, but she does so many other things out there, sacrificing her body and her hustle and everything, so it won’t get much better than that performance.”
And gritty, low-scoring nights like that one last Friday are just fine with Florence, who has made a career of getting the most out of her undersized frame. At 5-foot-5, Florence is on most days the shortest player on the floor, yet she somehow leads the Huskies in rebounding with 6.6 per game. That puts Florence eighth in the Pac-10 in rebounding, and everyone else in the top 12 is 6-1 or taller, including six players 6-3 or taller.
Jackson is most impressed with Florence’s tenacity, which helps the undersized point guard rebound like a center.
“She plays outside of her means,” the first-year Washington coach said. “She’s a 5-4 point guard who is our leading rebounder. She can penetrate past anyone and elevate and get a shot off, and you look at her and go, ‘Now how on earth did that happen?’ She might be 5-4, but she plays every bit of six feet. She just has a never-say-die attitude out there. She has an attitude about her game, and rebounding is an attitude. That’s an effort thing.”
Jackson may admire the play of her point guard, but she is apparently fond of short-changing Florence by an inch. When told her coach described her as 5-4, Florence mocked offense, saying, “No way. I’m 5-5.”
“It doesn’t matter what size you are, you can always work as hard as anyone else,” she said. “I’m a pretty physical player out there. It’s all about working hard.”
Florence also gives credit to her teammates for her rebounding success, saying they help create the opportunities by occupying larger opponents. That’s something with which her teammates, at least jokingly, agree.
“Everyone else boxes out and she goes in and gets the rebounds,” senior Andrea Plouffe said with a laugh.
The effort and intensity that make Florence the player she is now started years ago in Boise, Idaho. Growing up with three older brothers, Florence learned toughness early in life thanks to Ben, Branden and Nic.
“They threw me around and beat up on me a little bit when I was younger, so I’m sure that helps,” she says, laughing.
Florence’s tenacity is also rubbing off on her teammates. As one of two seniors on the UW roster along with Plouffe (Dominique Banks would be the third senior, but is redshirting because of injury) Florence is called upon to set an example for a young team.
“I look up to her a lot,” freshman point guard Sarah Morton said. “I feed off of her a lot, especially her hustle. I try to have that rub off on me. She’s just an amazing athlete and she works so hard.”
Morton, a Monroe High School graduate, is Washington’s only other true point guard, and has made Florence, who she calls “our little spark plug” her role model on the team.
“Her hustle is amazing,” Morton said. “She’s always on the ground diving for balls, always doing those extra things. I’m really trying now to do that too, because with her gone next year those are going to be tough shoes to fill for anybody, so I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from her while she’s here.”
Florence’s style of play is what makes her a favorite amongst her teammates, coaches and fans, but it also drives opposing coaches crazy. Jackson knows that first hand, because three years ago she was an assistant at UCLA when Florence was a freshman.
“It surprised me then, and it’s still a bit of an eye opener for me,” Jackson said of Florence’s game. “She’s just a little pest out there. It’s the funniest thing, because those are the kind of people that get under your skin, and now to have her in my midst it’s really nice”
Jackson is in fact thrilled to have Florence on her team. Florence is helping out this season not only with her talents on the court, but with her leadership. Prior to this season, Florence didn’t have to fill that role, but its something she has embraced this season on a young team. With Banks out for the season, and Plouffe only recently coming back from Achilles tendinitis, Florence was the only senior on the court for most of Washington’s non-conference games.
“It was tough at first,” Florence said. “I didn’t realize how hard it is to be a leader, not just by example but vocally. Sometimes it’s hard to step up and get on other people. I’ve never really had to do that a lot in the years before. It was a big adjustment for me, but I like it. It’s fun to be the one that girls are coming to and asking questions.”
Jackson noticed just how crucial Florence is when minor knee surgery sidelined the guard for a month of practice prior to Washington’s season opener. Suddenly, the Huskies were without a player who has started all but three games of her college career.
“She wasn’t out there, and that was a tough pill to swallow,” Jackson said of the practices without Florence. “I would have to talk a lot more, my coaches would have to talk a lot more. It was tough not having that voice, not having that experience on the floor, not having that tenacity out there. When you have someone out there to actually exemplify what you’re looking for, it’s a key element that was missed big time.”
Florence returned from the injury just in time for Washington’s opener, and went right back to being her hard-working self. As her final season heads into conference play, Florence will be out there, teeth clenched as she makes up for a lack of size with endless energy and effort. And whether she’s scoring points or not, it’s a safe bet that Florence will be a big part of any success the Huskies have this season.
“She’s one of those deceptive players,” Jackson said. “You don’t expect a lot of things from her, because when you look at her she’s an undersized package, but man, she comes up with some big, big plays and it’s just indicative of the type of player she is… She’s been a crucial part of everything that’s going on here.”
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