Keishana Washington doesn’t do anything halfway.

The 5-foot-7 Pickering, Ontario native is currently working on her Masters in Psychology at Drexel University. She’s also playing in her fifth season with the Drexel Dragons where she closed out 2022 as the leading scorer in the NCAA, before beginning 2023 by crossing 2,000 points scored at Drexel, becoming just the second woman in Drexel university history and the eighth Canadian-born player to score 2,000 points in Division I history.

“It was a bit of a surreal moment to have that happen,” Washington said. “If you asked me that five years ago, coming into college, I wouldn’t have said that was possible, I didn't even consider myself a scorer. Credit to my teammates and coaches for the work that we’ve put in [because], being able to have that moment and share it with them was something special.”

Washington is quick to credit those around her for her success, but without her own tireless work ethic, her 26.2 point-per-game average this season wouldn’t be possible. Extra hours in the gym with Drexel Women's Basketball associate head coach Stacy Weiss has helped the 22-year-old expand her game.

“Once I'm able to master one move or area, I move on to the next one," Washington said of her sessions with Weiss.

Washington also singles out Drexel Women’s Basketball head coach Amy Mallon for putting her in positions to score and excel.

“I think she has a different level of trust in me that allows me to work and be the player that I am today,” Washington said. “And of course credit to my teammates for always giving me the ball in those big moments and trusting me when it matters.”

Washington was named as one of 10 candidates to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the NCAA's top shooting guard on Tuesday. This was her third national player of the year watch list this season after previously being named to the USBWA National Player of the Year and the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the year midseason lists.

Her 26.2 point-per-game average is currently third in the NCAA, trailing only Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. Making watch lists is nothing new for Washington who previously was named the 2021-22 CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as well as named to the 2021-22 CAA First Team. This comes after being named the CAA Tournament MVP in 2021. Despite a more intense course load that comes with being in a graduate program, Washington continues to be able to balance the demands of the classroom and on court.

“It's been a goal for me from a young age,” she said. “My parents always said school comes before anything so I think taking that and carrying that into college has helped me excel because I put a lot of time into school and then I don't have to worry about that when I'm in the moment in a basketball game. I know I’ve got schoolwork done so I can focus on basketball.”

Among all of the accolades and success that has come her way, Washington puts crossing 2,000 career points at the top of the list, but what stands out most about the accomplishment was getting to share it with fellow fifth-year guard Maura Hendrixson who recorded the assist on the basket that pushed her over the top.

“We’ve been playing together for five years, so that was a really special moment for us,” Washington said.

With just nine games left in Drexel’s regular season, Washington knows that the end of her college playing career is creeping closer. As she stays in the moment, wanting to make the most of each time she hits the court, she says she will reflect on her record-breaking season when it is in the rearview.

“To be honest, I haven't taken that moment [to reflect on everything] yet,” she said. “You have to sit down and take a second to breathe. I’m sure that moment will be coming soon. Everything will probably be hitting me soon. I think everything will start to hit me, that it's over, college is over. I’ll have to start thinking about my future, and then [look back at] what I’ve accomplished.”

Washington grew up watching the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team and represented Canada in the U18 FIBA Americas in Mexico. Kia Nurse and Bridget Carleton were two of the players that inspired her as a young girl with hoop dreams of her own. Washington knows that today she’s in a position to be that representation for young girls growing up with hoop dreams of their own.  

“It means a lot,” she said. “When I was growing up, having those older women’s players excel in what they do was definitely inspiring to me as a younger one playing basketball, so I'm definitely grateful that I'm able to do that to other young women who are looking to do the same. We can achieve whatever we put our minds to and we don't have to be held back to whatever standards or stereotypes or whatever social media portrays. We can excel and be great at what we do.”

Wasington takes her platform seriously, wanting to better the world of sport for the female athletes that follow. Her master's thesis will allow her to do extensive research into women’s basketball, dealing with discrepancies within women’s and men’s basketball. She sees things like the WNBA’s most recent collective-bargaining agreement as much-needed steps forward toward equality in sport.

“It’s a slow process, but it’s nice to see that the work is actually being done and the energy is being put into making women’s basketball bigger,” Washington said. “Especially on the big stage like the WNBA or in college in the NCAA tournament. While it is slow, I’m glad to see that we’re moving in the right direction.”

As she’s shown all season, on and off court, we’re safe to follow Washington’s lead.