Early Season Improvements: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs

Early season watching in college is my favorite time of year in scouting. I’m so engrossed in trying to tap into every game to see and soak in as much basketball as possible.

While stats, particularly against lesser competition, are not all that indicative, the process you’re seeing from teams and players alike are paramount. What do you want to get to? How quickly are you doing that? Are you doing it with ease and consistency?

Those are the things that I’m looking for off rip.

Last night, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs took 5 three-point attempts in Baylor’s win over Incarnate Word, making 2. To add context to that, Buggs had taken 8 threes her first two years combined in Waco, making none.

Even on the misses, Buggs’ confidence and willingness to take those shots from deep stood out. She’s not just taking them because they’re available, she’s seeking them out. THAT is huge.

It’ll be key to watch how and where she keeps taking and making these shots. She was more comfortable as an off the dribble shooter last season, better at gathering the ball to get into her shot after handling herself. I love the footwork and prep before the ball comes to her in the first attempt shown above, sliding from R/L, catching right side, and going straight up. Set point and release look phenomenal.

Note how on the second attempt, she of course can’t really slide like that or get into the same footwork. She opts for a small hop here and again, good touch on the ball. That’s a great way to mitigate not being able to get into most comfortable footwork.

This is good stuff!

Buggs has always been a player I believed in as a shooter, with a silky mid-range game (45.2% on two point jumpers last season per Synergy), good touch inside the paint, and growing as a free throw shooter. However, you just can’t really teach a player confidence. I think confidence and willingness are perhaps the most important aspects of shooting, You obviously need to have touch, but if you are routinely going to check out of/turn down open looks or hesitate, that’s a great way to kill advantages and make a defense not care.

So again, to see THAT confidence is massive and a very clear shift. I want to see that maintain for an entire season, but that’s just not something we’ve seen from her in college, a tantalizing growth all things considered.

Buggs is phenomenal attacking the basket off the catch, one of the better non-guard drivers in the Big 12 last season, shooting roughly 45% on drives attacking the basket last season. Even in last night’s game, those driving lanes became even more open after she started to uncork from deep, providing even easier scoring opportunities and more efficient offense.

She has a good handle for her size and is a much better passer than I feel box score indicates. Many of her turnovers come off of killing her dribble too early or offensive charges due to constricted space to attack the basket as she’s often having to attack a short close. Again, opening up those driving lanes is such a huge game-changer for her, and for Baylor.

I currently have Buggs projected as a first-rounder in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and the best prospect in the Big 12. This has the potential to only heighten that.