Classen SAS' Darianna Littlepage-Buggs named Oklahoma's Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs continues to make history.
After leading Classen SAS to its first state tournament win on Tuesday, the senior Baylor signee was named Gatorade’s 2020-21 Oklahoma Girls Basketball Player of the Year, the company announced Wednesday. Littlepage-Buggs is the first Comet to win the award.
The 6-foot-1 McDonald's All-American led the Comets to a 20-1 record and the All-City League Tournament (PCI) championship this past season. Littlepage-Buggs averaged 15.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, earning McDonald’s All-American honors. She is ranked as the nation’s No. 17 recruit in the Class of 2022 by HoopGurlz.
Littlepage-Buggs joins recent Gatorade Oklahoma Girls Basketball Players of the Year Aaliyah Moore (2020-21 & 2019-20, Moore High School), Gabby Gregory (2018-19, Tulsa Holland Hall School), and Jessi Murcer (2017-18, Westmoore High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Class 4A girls basketball: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs lifts Classen SAS to the state semifinals
Previous winner: Aaliyah Moore named repeat Gatorade's Oklahoma Girls Basketball Player of the Year
“Darianna is so versatile on the court. She brings a lot of fire and force for her teammates, and she is very hard to guard,” Harding Charter Prep coach Latesha Woods said. “She has a high motor and is able to stay on the court the entire game, rebounding on both ends of the court. She can also defend every position on the floor.”
Off the court, Littlepage-Buggs is a member of her church choir and has volunteered locally at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma City and has also donated her time to Classen’s Black Student Union. Littlepage-Buggs has maintained a 3.27 GPA in the classroom.
As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Littlepage-Buggs also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
James D. Jackson covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for James? He can be reached at jjackson@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @JamesDJackson15. Support James' work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs named Oklahoma's Gatorade Player of the Year
