Washington becomes fifth Gator to notch 1,000 points
The senior guard has helped Land O'Lakes earn the top seed in Class 5A, District 5.
By JAMAL THALJI
Published February 11, 2004
LAND O'LAKES - Land O'Lakes guard Roshaunda Washington didn't even know the goal was within reach when she started her senior season.
She didn't even know it was a goal.
Not until coach Greg Robinson finally let her in on the secret, when she was 61 point away from the record.
Thursday night against Zephyrhills, the coach gave Washington the green light to go for it. Washington responded by throwing down four straight 3-pointers.
By the second quarter she had reached the milestone: 1,000 career points.
"It feels good," Washington said. "But I never really even thought about it."
Washington, who transferred from Fort Myers her sophomore year, became the fifth Land O'Lakes player to reach the 1,000-point mark, the first in six years. Washington has scored 1,007 in her three seasons with the Gators.
Seasons in which Washington has done more than just lead the team in scoring.
"She's been outstanding," Robinson said. "She's a great girl to have, a great girl to work with. She has so many skills and talents. You look at her steals, her rebounds and everything else. She's just an all-around player with all-around court (skills.)
"It's a lot easier to be coach when you've got a player like her."
Robinson knew the record was within reach for Washington this season, but he didn't realize she would achieve it despite being surrounded by the school's best offensive cast in three seasons.
Washington is averaging 15.2 points this season, boosting her scoring average of 11.9 set as a junior. In that 70-25 win over Zephyrhills, Washington led Land O'Lakes to a 31-5 lead in the first quarter and finished with 21 points. She wanted to break the record from long-range, she said.
"I just wanted to shoot 3s," she said. "I just wanted to break the record with 3s. It's easier, and you get more points quicker."
Said Robinson: "With everybody else shooting like they're shooting, she's probably taking less shots because of all the other 3-point shooters we have on the team. The load has not been on her like it was."
At the same time, this is when Washington has traditionally hit her stride. The regular season is over and district tournaments are starting. Land O'Lakes has the top seed in Class 5A, District 5, and on Saturday plays the winner of tonight's Mitchell-River Ridge game.
"This is where she shines, the end of the year," Robinson said. "In the districts and the regional (playoffs) she came on last year, too. She's been lighting it up the last few games."
Land O'Lakes' Francesca Hankins reached 1,000-points in 1998. Another member of the Gators' 1,000-point club, Colleen Bentz, set the school record of 1,627 in 1987.
