By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Loving the game isn’t always loud. It shows up in early mornings, in rehab rooms, in hard conversations and harder losses.
Through adversity and heartache, through championships and the quiet grind no one sees, few have embodied that love in green and gold quite like Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Bella Fontleroy and Jana Van Gytenbeek.
And even fewer have done it all together.
Three women. Three teammates. Three athletes with wildly different journeys who have carved their place into the Baylor women’s basketball record books and the hearts of fans since the first time they pulled on a Baylor jersey.
Over four seasons of milestones, season highs and career-defining moments, they became the program’s foundation in an era defined by constant change, anchoring one of just five Power 5 schools in the country with its entire 2022 recruiting class still intact.
Weeks before their final season began, they felt the weight of what it would mean.
“People say it all the time — ‘last one, best one’ — but really it is our last one here, all together,” Fontleroy said at Big 12 Media Day. “It has to be the best one from all angles, from our leadership, our effort, to what we put on the court. This is the year to hold onto people really tight because we know that will translate to the court.”
“For me, it’s really just taking it all in, the joys and the challenges,” Littlepage-Buggs said. “That’s one thing I’ve come to love — the challenges, even when it’s hard. It’s definitely been a change, especially for me and Bella being the leaders now. People look up to us like we used to look up to our seniors. We want to give it our all, go out with a bang and make it memorable.”
While all three arrived in Waco as former Gatorade Players of the Year from their respective states, it was Littlepage-Buggs and Fontleroy — both top-50 recruits — who were asked to grow up quickly, stepping into significant roles as true freshmen in head coach Nicki Collen’s first recruiting class.
Their decision to choose Baylor, however, meant more than immediate impact. At a time when Baylor was navigating transition, and Collen was still laying her foundation, their commitment left a lasting impression on their head coach.
“Buggs and Bella were both highly sought-after high school players who could’ve gone just about anywhere,” Collen said. “For them to choose Baylor when there were a lot of question marks, the biggest one being me, and to believe in what we could build together, that will forever be special to me when it comes to those two.”
For Van Gytenbeek, the path looked different.
In 2022, after two seasons at Stanford and a national championship, she transferred to Baylor in search of a new beginning. A former five-star recruit and Colorado’s all-time assists leader, she arrived in Waco with a vision for how her college career might unfold. Instead, her reality demanded something entirely different.
“God blessed me with another college experience, and I’m so happy that I chose Nicki and Baylor,” Van Gytenbeek said. “I love Waco, and playing for her is my favorite thing in the world. She’s a coach you want to ride or die for. I’m just really grateful that’s the way it played out.”
For her younger teammates, Van Gytenbeek’s growth into a steady presence has become something to lean on.
“She’s one of the most unselfish people I’ve ever seen, always looking out for her teammates, positive no matter what,” redshirt freshman Ines Goryanova said. “I’ve learned what it means to be a good teammate from her and look up to her a lot on and off the court.”
Redshirt sophomore Taliah Scott, who transferred to Baylor from Auburn this offseason, echoed the same sentiment.
“She is a glue piece for us. The one who gets us in, calms us down and impacts the game in a variety of ways,” Scott said. “When I feel like I waver, she’s someone I look at and know, ‘OK, that’s my rock.’”
Fontleroy, a Missouri product and 1,000-point scorer during her time in Waco, has been the team’s defensive captain. She has built her career on consistency, never missing a game in her four seasons and earning All-Defensive Team honors along the way. That steadiness has made her indispensable to the program.
“Bella is the cornerstone of our team,” senior Kiersten Johnson said. “When Bella isn’t playing well, none of us are. When Bella’s doing great, we’re all doing great.”
For her teammates, Fontleroy sets the tone. For Collen, she helped lay the foundation.
“Bella was one of my very first calls,” Collen said. “We talked about the doubts I’d face, and there was this parallel in proving people wrong together. She’s impacted this program on and off the court, is an elite player on both sides and an incredible ambassador. I’m proud of her, and I’m proud of [those three].”
And then there’s Littlepage-Buggs.
One of the fiercest players to ever wear a Baylor uniform, Littlepage-Buggs arrived as a McDonald’s All-American and has since become one of the most decorated players in program history. A 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound force, she sits fifth all-time in boards and owns the Baylor record for career double-doubles.
Yet those around her say her greatest impact isn’t just in the numbers — it’s in the way she shows up every day.
“She’s someone I never have to question,” Collen said. “Of every kid I’ve coached at any level, she’s one of the most consistent humans in the way she shows up. It’s hard to picture this program without Buggs because she’s left such an imprint, not just on this program, but on my heart and everyone who comes in contact with her.”
That imprint is already shaping the next wave of Bears.
“She has helped me so much, being new to all of this, more than she knows,” freshman Marcayla Johnson said. “I’m learning to give myself grace, and Buggs has guided me through that. When she has confidence, so do I, because I’ve been watching this team, the OGs — Jana, Buggs and Bella — grow up in the game. It’s meant so much to me to be here with them.”
Once newcomers to the college game, and still with plenty of ball left to play, the trio will leave as a new standard, their legacy woven into the fabric of Baylor women’s basketball.
