When an ACL tear in the 2024-25 opener ended Jana Van Gytenbeek’s graduate season as quickly as it began, the former Cherry Creek star needed someone to sketch her basketball future.
That’s where an encouraging word from Bears head coach Nicki Collen came in.
“The day I tore it, Coach Nicki was like, ‘I’m requiring you to come back next year,’ and gave me a huge hug,” Van Gytenbeek recalled. “After that, I was focused on my goal of returning. I wasn’t going to let my college career end with an injury.”
Van Gytenbeek got a medical redshirt, and is back in Waco for her final year of eligibility in a college career that started with two seasons at Stanford before finishing with four at Baylor.
The 24-year-old, a bench player in her prior four full seasons of action, is Baylor’s starting point guard this season. Van Gytenbeek has rarely come off the floor through 16 games for the Bears (13-3), who host JR Payne’s CU Buffs on Thursday at Foster Pavilion.
After what Van Gytenbeek describes as a bumpy start to her season — the point guard admits she “struggled to find my flow, and when to be aggressive and get to my shot” — she’s settled in. Van Gytenbeek is 11th in the nation with 6.8 assists per game.
The turning point came on Dec. 31 in a win at Oklahoma State, when she poured in 17 points to go along with 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
“In the fourth quarter, I hit a 3, which was a big shot at that moment in the game. Then, I had a drive to the basket and a nice kick out (for an assist),” Van Gytenbeek said. “That’s when I was finally like, ‘Ok, yeah, I can do this. I’m not nervous anymore.”
The state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Cherry Creek, Van Gytenbeek lives on in Denver Coliseum lore for hitting one of the most clutch shots ever seen in the Colorado high school playoffs. In the waning seconds of the Class 5A championship in 2019 against current UCLA star Lauren Betts and favored Grandview, Van Gytenbeek drove the lane through traffic and hit an underhand, running floater with four seconds left in a 51-49 win.
Fast-forward seven years, and Van Gytenbeek hopes to make more tournament memories with the Bears come time for March Madness.
Van Gytenbeek appeared in 28 games off the bench for national champion Stanford in 2020-21, and has been a part of three tournament teams at Baylor. She believes the Bears can win the Big 12 and then make noise in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round last season.
“We can go as far as we can by playing our brand of basketball,” Van Gytenbeek said. “There’s no lid.”
Baylor guard Jana van Gytenbeek (4) moves the ball down the court against Texas during an NCAA basketball game on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Rich Rodriguez)Hence then, the article about cherry creek product jana van gytenbeek back from acl tear is racking up assists for baylor bears was published today ( ) and is available on The Denver Post ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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