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UCLA center Lauren Betts has been dominant in her second season with the Bruins since transferring from Stanford in 2023. This season, the 6-foot-7 star is having a spectacular 2024-25 season, averaging 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 64% from the field.
Betts’ National Player of the Year-worthy production has carried UCLA to a 23-0 mark and the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for 11 weeks running. Betts is considered a lottery pick in the 2025 WNBA draft as she is eligible to declare for the event.
However, the center chose to stay for another year with the Bruins, indicating that she wants to help the team win a national championship this season and the 2025-26 season.
“I want to win a national championship, obviously,” Betts said in an ESPN interview on Friday. “If not this year, then obviously next year, but hopefully we could just do it both times.”
Last season, UCLA finished the season with a 27-7 record in its last Pac-12 stint. The Bruins gained an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and defeated California Baptist and Creighton in the first two rounds before losing to LSU in the Sweet 16.
Betts was an integral part of UCLA’s campaign last season, averaging 14.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.
Lauren Betts’ sister’s arrival next season fuels the former’s decision to stay with UCLA
Lauren Betts’ decision to stay for another season was also due to a family member who will make her much-anticipated arrival next season. The opportunity to play alongside younger sister Sienna Betts was something she couldn’t refuse.
The 6-foot-4 Sienna Betts is a forward who is ranked No. 2 in the recruitment rankings. She signed with the Bruins in November last year and the center is excited to play with her sister who is expected to form a twin-tower combination next season.
“I think that I would be crazy if I gave up the opportunity to play with my sister, so obviously, I’m going to come back next year,” she said in the same interview with ESPN.
The decision to stay with the Bruins would also help Betts develop her inside game further. She has one more year to polish her moves with UCLA and could still be a lottery pick in the 2026 WNBA draft as she remains the top center in the class.
Did Lauren Betts make the right decision to stay with UCLA for another season? Let us know your insights in the comments section.
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Edited by Prathik BR
