CAA notebook: Bella Nascimento’s unforgettable week — from William & Mary to the world stage

Nascimento, an explosive 5’8 guard, possessed a quiet fire that couldn’t be measured in stats and the conviction that something special was within reach. This spring, that vision became reality. She led the Tribe to the promised land—a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, carving her name into school history and the hearts of everyone who watched those memorable four days in March.

But even after the Tribe’s season ended against Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Nascimento’s story wasn’t finished.

It was just getting started.

Nascimento suited up for the Brazilian National Team and shared the floor with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in a pair of high-profile exhibition games that heightened excitement for the start of the WNBA regular season, which begins Friday night. For Nascimento it was a weekend that felt like stepping into a dream within a dream.

But this wasn’t a fairytale. The cherished opportunity resulted from Nascimento’s relentless hard work, passion, leadership, commitment, consistency, and unshakable confidence—rising into the spotlight like brilliant cherry blossoms at peak bloom.

She wasn’t in awe of the moment. Nascimento knew she belonged.

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“Playing against all those WNBA players was amazing,” Nascimento shared. “I was trying to soak it all in before and after, but not so much during the games because I needed to stay locked in. After all, everybody’s just a player. Everybody’s human. I kept reminding myself that everybody has their talents, but nobody is special. They bleed, cry, and feel joy – just like me. I would have never imagined this in my wildest dreams, but I’m super blessed. God has blessed me beyond measure, that is for sure.”

Nascimento’s connection to Brazil has always run deep. A Brazilian American national, Nascimento was born in the U.S. and raised with strong ties to her heritage. She regularly visited her family in Vitoria, the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is located on a small island. Nascimento takes pride in her culture.

But it wasn’t until late in her senior season that her international basketball dream began to take shape.

“Things started picking up after I hit 1,000 career points,” she said. “A reporter from Brazil reached out, helped get my name out there on social media, and connected me with the national team’s director. After we won the (CAA) championship, he asked if I had dual citizenship, if I wanted to keep playing, and if I’d be interested in joining the team. I said yes to all of it.”

The opportunity came quickly. On April 26, Nascimento received a call from the national team early in the morning when she was still sleeping. She returned the call a few hours later when she woke up. By April 28, she was on a plane to Baton Rouge to join her new teammates for a quick training camp. They practiced at LSU the entire week leading up to the LSU game before flying to Iowa the day after the Sky game.

She embraced the moment with the calm strength that defined her season at William & Mary.

While the WNBA preseason celebrated stars like Angel Reese (LSU), Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Jewel Loyd (Notre Dame), and Jackie Young (Notre Dame) with exhibition games scheduled on their college campuses, Nascimento quietly made her mark. Representing William & Mary and the CAA, Nascimento wore it with pride, carrying the torch for everyone who helped her along her journey.

Making the moment even more meaningful, Tribe head coach Erin Dickerson Davis and assistant coach Kenia Cole traveled to LSU to witness her debut against the Chicago Sky. For Nascimento, it must have felt like a familiar CAA weekend—Friday night against the Sky, Sunday afternoon versus the Fever. Same rhythm, just a bigger stage.

Across the two games, Nascimento averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. Before a national ESPN audience of 1.3 million viewers and a sold-out crowd of 15,000 at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, she scored five points against the Fever, including making a corner three with Clark guarding her.

“Getting out on the court, just touching the ball and getting my teammates involved was fun,” she said. “I played the one in the first game and the two in the second. I just tried to do the best I could in whatever role I had.”

After the game, Clark shared encouraging words and posed for a photo. They also hugged in the postgame handshake line—a moment of mutual respect during an afternoon bigger than basketball.

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“I will say that Iowa was crazy because of all those fans,” Nascimento recalled. “All those people, I believe the arena started filling up around the 80-minute mark, and I said to myself, ‘What in the world?’ It started filling up fast because everybody wanted to get pictures of Caitlin before the game and celebrate her. Then, I had the chance to match up with her during the game. She was smaller than I thought, too. I thought she was just a little bit taller and bigger.”

Even though the exhilarating whirlwind of March Madness and international matchups has finally settled, for Nascimento, one more major milestone remains on the horizon.

She graduates on May 16, and you’d be forgiven for thinking a few opposing coaches might show up to make sure it’s real—that Nascimento is finally done tormenting them. For years, she’s been the player no one wanted to face and the one fans loved to cheer.

Her career wasn’t just about the stats but about the moments that resonated.

The step-backs. The heat checks. How a packed gym buzzed when the ball was in her hands and how she bent the game to her will.

The 33-point, 11-rebound championship game masterpiece against Campbell, the first NCAA tournament victory in program history over High Point, and the national exposure for a program that won its first CAA championship will forever linger, stitched into an unforgettable and magical season. During the two NCAA tournament games in which she averaged 21.5 points, ESPN commentator Tiffany Greene, affectionately referred to Nascimento as “Bella Buckets.”

Nascimento’s final season in Williamsburg was more than a breakthrough—it was a testament to the power of embracing who you are, fully and unapologetically. Playing with an edge was her superpower. Yelling “and-one” after a basket when she was fouled gave her strength and provided fuel to her teammates.

She finished with 927 career points—the most ever by a two-year player in program history—along with the second-most points in a single season (580), sixth in career scoring average (14.7), and a program-record 230 field goals in a season. Nascimento also led the CAA in conference scoring at 17.8 points per game and topped the league with 15 games of 20-plus points.

She gave William & Mary its first taste of March Madness. She elevated the program with a calm strength rooted in her prideful Brazilian heritage and unshakable belief in God’s timing. Her journey, guided by grace, is expanding internationally as she works with her agent to begin her professional career somewhere.

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Through it all, she’s thinking about the next generation.

“I would say to every little girl out there who wants to do the same thing and represent their country, or just play basketball at a high level, never to give up and stay persistent in your goals and dreams,” Nascimento said. “People might do or say stuff that makes you uncomfortable or knocks you off your path, but always find your way back. Pray—it helps. Be mentally tough, open with your emotions, and be where your feet are. Stay true to yourself, and people will see your light shine.”

Nascimento’s legacy isn’t just in the records she shattered or the banners she helped raise— it lives in the fierce, fearless way she played the game and represented William & Mary as an ambassador of excellence. Through every drive, steal, and shot, she proved that purpose, resilience, and faith can carry one beyond the dream—and illuminate the path for others to follow.

Baker’s Back

A simple two-word Instagram post lifted a weight Amaris Baker had carried for weeks. She had already decided what she was going to do long before she let the rest of the world know on April 25.

Baker is returning to Drexel for the 2025-26 campaign.

The CAA’s second-leading scorer at 17.0 points per game last season, Baker is a Philly tradition like the soft pretzel, Billy Penn, and Eagle grit. A maestro with the ball in her hands, Baker plays the sweetest music through her silky-smooth jump shot—a sound that echoes every time the net snaps. Her decision to return to Drexel wasn’t just about basketball but loyalty, legacy, and home.

“I always write down a pros and cons list,” Baker shared with The Next on her thought process. “It’s close to home. I know the program. I enjoy my coaches, the staff, and my teammates. There’s more to be done. That was a huge part of my decision. I also want to keep building Drexel.”

In an era of nonstop movement, Drexel stood still—one of the few programs in the country with zero women’s basketball players in the transfer portal. While Baker may have had fleeting thoughts of playing her final year elsewhere, it was never something she seriously considered. Philly is where her heart is and where she knew she belonged.

After all, Drexel head coach Amy Mallon and Baker are practically joined at the hip. Baker remembers Mallon’s reaction to the news.

“She was happy,” Baker said. “I was happy as well. I didn’t want to tell my teammates until it was officially out, but they already knew because I kept showing up at workouts. It’s been great, and my decision to return was pretty smooth and straightforward.”

That stability—rare in today’s college basketball landscape—mattered to Baker, as did her belief in something bigger than herself. During the sweat-soaked offseason workouts and enhanced chemistry with her teammates, Baker, who graduates next month with her degree in criminal justice, felt the rhythm return. The coaches, the teammates, the mid-major pride—it all resonated.

Though Baker completed four seasons of college basketball—first at Kennesaw State, then a junior college season at Harcum in which she averaged 27 points to lead the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II in scoring, followed by two years at Drexel— she earned an extra year of eligibility thanks to a federal court ruling that required the NCAA to grant waivers to student-athletes who spent a year at a junior college. Under previous rules, her career would have ended after Drexel’s CAA semifinal loss to William & Mary.

She scored double figures in 25 of Drexel’s 28 games, including 11 games with 20 or more. Her season featured a career-high 33 points against North Carolina A&T, followed two days later by a game-winner at Hampton. She averaged 37.6 minutes per game and finished with 509 points—both career highs. Her efforts earned her First Team All-CAA and Big Five honors. 

Waking up early in the morning and working out with her dad at the Murphy Recreation Center in south Philadelphia when she first started playing hoops, Baker’s journey hasn’t been linear—and she wouldn’t want it any other way. Detours, roadblocks, and tough choices have marked her path, but each twist has shaped her toughness and deepened her perspective.

A patient and persistent mindset, forged through adversity, makes her return to Drexel even more meaningful. For Baker, the 2024 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, that road led her back home. After winning the championship last year, Baker manifested that moment in a journal entry. Family means everything to her. Even more exciting for Baker is that her younger brother, Gabriel, Jr., will be a freshman at Drexel this upcoming school year.

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“He’s already asking to play one-on-one,” Baker said. “I plan on going to Portugal in August with my siblings, which will be fun getting out of the country again. I also plan on going to WNBA games. Overall, I am just going to enjoy the moment and do a lot of community service with my teammates at the Murphy Recreation Center.”

Speaking of the WNBA, Baker also watched the Indiana Fever-Brazil game and was happy to see Nascimento playing, a testament to the high-quality talent competing in the CAA that is often overlooked. Nascimento and Baker may have had tough duels against each other over the last two years as opponents, but the respect runs deep.

“I saw the bun and thought, it looked familiar,” Baker said, laughing.  “That’s really cool. I’m super proud of her, I’m happy for her. That’s a big stage and a blessing. It just shows that if you have talent and you put the work in, it’ll show it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter where you come from.”

Baker is excited for the season ahead, knowing her best is still to come. She’s already beaten the odds to become Drexel’s leading lady. Now, she’s stepping into her final act with confidence, joy, and that signature Philly grit.

Top-Shelf Talent
Nascimento and Baker were two standout gems in the CAA last season—and the transfer portal confirmed they weren’t alone. Several of the league’s top performers are headed to Power Four programs: Gemma Nunez (Campbell to Texas Tech), Raven Preston (Elon to Wake Forest), Khady Leye (Towson to Auburn), Breauna Ware (Stony Brook to Wisconsin) and Taylor Henderson (UNCW to Purdue).

Nunez led the CAA in assists. Preston was fourth in the conference in rebounding. Nunez and Preston were All-CAA Second Team selections. Henderson, who graduated, was UNCW’s second-leading scorer. Leye was a member of the All-CAA Freshman Team.

Elon Reloaded

Elon received commitments from a pair of talented and experienced underclassmen for the upcoming season. Already featuring the CAA Freshman of the Year Jayda Angel, Elon will also enjoy the skills of LaNae’ Corbett, a member of the All-CAA Freshman Team who transferred from Hofstra, and Tyana Walker, the 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year from Howard. Also returning for Elon is senior Laila Anderson. The Phoenix could be a team on the rise featuring proven transfers with accolades.