Baylor WBB Season Preview: Top Returners For 2024-2025
As Baylor women's basketball's season opener on Nov. 7 against Incarnate Word approaches, it's time to start breaking down the roster, plus the biggest storylines and questions heading into the 2024-2025 season.
Today, we'll assess the best-returning players from last year's roster. In the coming weeks, we'll highlight the top newcomers, wildcards and the biggest questions surrounding head coach Nicki Collen's squad.
Sarah Andrews: (34 GP, 29.7 MIN, 11.4 PTS, 2.4 REB, 3.9 AST, 1.3 STL, 1.9 TO, 38.1 FG%, 35.9 3P%, 67.5 FT%)
Fifth-year senior guard Sarah Andrews is arguably Baylor's most lethal threat on offense. After dealing with ailing foot injuries all last year, Andrews elected to use her extra season of eligibility and return to Waco for one final ride.
"I'm excited about this year; we've got a good group, so I think we've got a chance to make a lot of noise, and I have some unfinished business," she said. "We got a taste of the tournament last year, and I think we're going to go a little deeper than last year; that was the main reason why I came back."
Andrews earned Preseason All-Big 12 honors, but the main question is whether she will be healthy and unlock her full potential. As a sophomore, Andrews earned All-Conference honors and had the most efficient season of her career, averaging 11.1 points and 4.5 assists, but she broke her hand in February 2022.
As a junior, she led the Bears in scoring with 14.7 points per game but similarly dealt with injuries. Last season, she averaged 11.4 points per game and shot 35.9% from deep while playing through ailing foot issues.
"We want to get Sarah back healthy enough that she looks like, as we like to say, 'Sophomore Sarah' because I think that's when she was elite," head coach Nicki Collen said.
Collen expects Andrews to bounce back this season and believes that adding 6-foot-3 center Aaronette Vonleh (Sr.) from Colorado will greatly benefit Andrews' perimeter game.
"She's really going to be able to feed off the attention that Netty [Vonleh] gets in the post," Collen said. "Sarah is the only player on our team who's played with a dominant post player, NaLyssa [Smith] and Queen [Egbo], and understands how much easier it is when the attention is drawn to someone who can score two feet from the basket."
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs: (33 GP, 27.7 MIN, 10.5 PTS, 7.2 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.7 STL, 2.1 TO, 52.5 FG%, 00.0 3P%, 76.9 FT%)
Junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs has one of the highest ceilings on Baylor's squad and is looking to make the third-year leap as a more assertive scorer.
"When you think about consistency, it's Darianna Littlepage-Buggs," Collen said. "There's a security blanket [feel] in how she plays. She plays with pace all of the time. She's a ball mover; the ball doesn't stick with her. Even when she's not taking shots, she makes us better."
As a sophomore, Littlepage-Buggs led the Bears in rebounds per game (7.2) and was third on the team in points per game (10.5). In 2022-2023, she averaged 10.5 points per game, led the team with 14 double-doubles and was named the unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
When asked about Littlepage-Buggs' improvement over the offseason, Collen lit up, saying that the third-year player has spent a ton of time working on her jump shot. Last season, Littlepage-Buggs attempted just six 3-pointers, but that's expected to change this year.
"Buggs is making threes now," Collen said. "I don't think she's suddenly going to be a 40% 3-point shooter, but I think she's growing her confidence of taking them."
Collen mentioned that while Littlepage-Buggs has exclusively played on the perimeter in her first two seasons, she'll be able to be a stretch four if she keeps increasing her ability to make jump shots.
"We've really committed to getting her to believe in her mid-range jump shot off the bounce," Collen said. "She's actually an elite shooter when she uses the dribble. Her catch-and-shoot isn't quite as good, so we're working on that. When she gets in a rhythm, she's really good in that middle game."
Bella Fontleroy: (34 GP, 26.4 MIN, 9.6 PTS, 5.0 REB, 0.7 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.4 TO, 44.4 FG%, 36.4 3P%, 71.1 FT%)
Next up is fellow junior forward Bella Fontleroy, who is coming off a successful sophomore season where she led the squad in three-point percentage (36.4) and was fourth on the team in points per game (9.6).
Over the back half of last year, Fontleroy began to come into her own, taking over the starting role at the power forward position. According to Collen, she was also a notable snub from the all-conference defensive team.
For the upcoming season, like Littlepage-Buggs, Fontleroy is expected to take the next step on both sides of the floor.
"With our entire junior class, we know that there's a lot expected of us," Fontleroy said. "It's our third year in the system. Buggs and I have both grown a lot, and Kyla [Abraham] has too. You can tell by our tenacity and how we get after it in practice. We know what we're doing, and we're confident. We want to be able to lead by example."
Collen talked about how her two stand-out junior forwards are beginning to better understand her system and gain confidence in their abilities on the floor.
"I think both players are becoming more natural leaders because their confidence has grown," Collen said. "They're better at understanding what they're good at. When you come in, your head is spinning as a freshman, and we just threw them out there and asked them to do the best they could. Sometimes, it was great, sometimes it was adequate and sometimes we got beat. But ultimately, they grew."
*All Stats from 2023-2024: GP/GS = Games Played/Games Started, MPG = Minutes Per Game, PPG = Points Per Game, RPG = Rebounds Per Game, APG = Assists Per Game, FG% = Field Goal Percentage, FT% = Free Throw Percentage, 3P% = Three-Point Percentage*