By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
In her first season with No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball and her last in college, senior center Aaronette Vonleh stole the show leading up to March Madness. With help from head coach Nicki Collen and her teammates, Vonleh averaged a career-best 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and will declare for the WNBA Draft following the semester.
But her focus remains on winning it all in the Big Dance.
In the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., Vonleh scored a career-high 37 points to help No. 2 Baylor take down No. 3 Oklahoma State 84-74 in overtime. It marked the first time in her career she scored 30 or more points in a game.
“That was honestly very unexpected for me,” Vonleh said. “I feel like I don’t ever go into a game, and I’m like, ‘Yep, I’m going to have 40 tonight.’ So it was definitely surprising and rewarding to be able to have impacted the game that drastically, but I also wouldn’t have been able to do it if my teammates weren’t finding me when I was open and just setting me up for easy shots.”
While Collen acknowledged this as a rare achievement, she also noted her confidence in Vonleh’s abilities.
“[Vonleh] was awesome,” Collen said. “She knows I probably believe in her more than she believes in herself — 37 [points]. I really don’t expect that every night, I promise … I always say it doesn’t matter what we run. If she wants the ball, our guards are going to get it to her.”
Vonleh credited much of her success against the Cowgirls to her teammates. However, after a 23-point loss to OSU on New Year’s Day, she wasn’t sure how they would adjust their game plan.
“[I] kind of didn’t know what to expect, just because obviously the first time we met up with Oklahoma State, that was a surprise for us,” Vonleh said. “Just the way we played wasn’t really us, and it was also way earlier in the season.”
While the early season loss made the victory even sweeter for Vonleh and the Bears, she also said it didn’t come without significant support and a familial atmosphere between everyone affiliated with the team.
“This is also the first team I’ve been on where I felt like it truly is a family dynamic,” Vonleh said. “We’re just so close on and off the court, and I think that just helps with our success. And our coaches — they just pour into us every single day and just really want the best for us.”
Vonleh transferred to Baylor for her senior year after spending her freshman year at the University of Arizona and her next two years at the University of Colorado. With an overwhelming sense of support at Baylor, the adjustment was smooth.
“I’d say this has definitely been the most seamless transfer that I’ve done, just in terms of my coaches and teammates welcoming me immediately,” Vonleh said.
When the team granted her the nickname “Netty,” she immediately felt like part of the family, allowing her to develop trust and confidence in both the coaches and her teammates while continuing to grow in her skills and gameplay.
When Collen first saw Vonleh’s name hit the portal, she felt the 6-foot-3 center was the perfect fit to add height to the team and match up with 6-foot-7 TCU graduate center Sedona Prince.
“A priority in the portal was adding size,” Collen said. “This is a league full of elite centers at a time when you’re starting to see, all the way up to the top levels, centers run to the corners and shoot 3s. This is a league full of players that get paint touches.”
While on-court success has been Vonleh’s priority, she said it has also been refreshing to be in a program with such a caring atmosphere that caters to the community alongside success. Even though she was nervous about the transition, Vonleh has found a home with the Bears.
“It’s just been really great to come to a program that you know is very successful but also has that extra benefit of truly caring about you as a person as well as a player,” Vonleh said.
After being named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, Vonleh noted the green and gold are still chasing another ring, not just accolades. Following the end of the season, she will enter her name in the WNBA Draft to continue her basketball career.
The fourth-seeded Bears will play 13th-seeded Grand Canyon (32-2) in the Round of 64 at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Foster Pavilion.
