PORTLAND, Ore. -- One of the next up-and-coming stars looking to make a name for herself is 18-year-old forward and UCLA Bruins commit, Sienna Betts. She will be joining her older sister, Lauren Betts, who is a future WNBA star. As Sienna Betts joins her sister in the collegiate ranks, she will do anything needed of her to win a championship. Sienna Betts, often referred to as "Lauren's little sister," wants her college career to be her journey, one in which she can showcase her talents.
Sienna Betts is a 6’4” post player who impacts both ends of the floor with her versatility, and she’ll do anything to help her team win. While she shares similarities with her game with her sister, she is a different type of post player. Whenever Sienna Betts is in trouble in the post, she will turn and shoot a one-legged fadeaway, reminiscent of NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. Although she will be sharing the floor with Lauren Betts in college for the first time, they also played together in high school. At the Nike Hoop Summit, Sienna Betts expressed her excitement to play with her older sister and the Bruins team next season.
“I’m excited to join (UCLA) and hopefully develop as a person and a player,” she said. “I’m excited to have that one year with Lauren (Betts) and hopefully leave some kind of legacy and accomplish as much as we can for the program and each other.”
Sienna Betts is looking forward to playing with Lauren Betts, but also joining a successful program. Fresh off a Final Four appearance, the addition of Sienna Betts will only improve them. Before their Elite Eight win against LSU, Lauren Betts spoke about her sister’s defense, while highlighting her impressive understanding of the game.
“(Sienna Betts) is a really good defender, but she’s also a really smart basketball player,” Lauren Betts explained. “She knows what to do when the ball is in her hands, she makes the right decision, and she creates for her teammates.”
Being able to understand the game at a young age is a huge strength for a young player like Sienna Betts. When talking about where her knowledge of the game comes from, she mentioned the other sports she played and learning basketball from her dad, Andy Betts, a former college player at Long Beach State.
“I wasn’t always able to score the way I do, so watching my dad when I was younger (helped my basketball IQ), and playing soccer, ” Sienna Betts said. “It was a combination of a lot of things (helping) me see the floor and predict what’s going to happen next. There’s a lot of stuff that builds up into being able to do that.”
While Sienna Betts is a smart two-way basketball player, there is plenty of room for growth at the collegiate level. Luckily for her, she will learn from the Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year in Cori Close, and her sister, the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year. Lauren Betts mentioned how she’ll be able to balance seeing her little sister as her new teammate with the Bruins, but also spoke about helping her transition to the collegiate level.
“I’m already going to look at her as a little sister, but (Sienna Betts) actually being my little sister is pretty special,” Lauren Betts said. “I’m excited to help her transition (to college), because it’s not easy coming to a team that’s elite like this.”
Sienna Betts will get to learn from her older sister how to play in college, a task not taken lightly. Lauren Betts is ready to show her the ropes and guide her to help the team succeed next season. When Sienna Betts was asked about learning from Close, she mentioned the care she has for her players and how she wants to become the best version of herself.
“I hope I (learn from coach to) become a better version of myself,” Sienna Betts said. “I feel like (Close) cares for her players, so I’m excited for her to help me develop as a player and a person.”
She is ready to learn from both her sister and her coach, who have been vital to bringing success back to UCLA. While playing with Lauren Betts is exciting, Sienna Betts is often compared to her. As she moves to the collegiate level, Sienna Betts wants to become her player. Despite being related, she spoke about the differences between herself and Lauren Betts and how her accomplishments should speak for themselves.
“(Lauren and I) are different people on and off the court,” Sienna Betts said. “I hope that I’ve accomplished enough by now and people can recognize that I’m a whole different person and I’m going to accomplish different things (than Lauren).”
Even though they are related, both Betts sisters are different people, both on and off the floor. In addition to the comparisons, being related to one of the top players in the country can come with pressure. When asked how she can help her sister relieve the pressure and become her player, Lauren Betts mentioned how she’d do anything to help remind her of how she became a Bruin in the first place.
“(I want to help Sienna Betts) in any way that I can, and I always try to remind her ‘you’re here because of the work you did’,” Lauren Betts said. “(I can help by) reminding (Sienna Betts) that she is her person, she’s so talented and she’s done the work to get to where she is because I had nothing to do with (recruiting her).”
