LOS ANGELES - Lauren Betts has stepped her game up to an entirely new level for No. 2 UCLA. The Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year had a massive junior season, though the price of that success meant that Betts’ has been made a target even more than she was before.

She’s faced relentless double and triple teams in every game as she fights for her life under the rim while teams try desperately to contain her. But through that adversity, Betts has found a new way to weaponize herself on the court, a midrange shot. Betts developed the skill over the offseason, but the confidence to actually use it during games came from some advice she received from a childhood idol while Betts was at USA Basketball training camp.

“I actually had the chance to talk to Aliyah Boston… Which is crazy to me because she's like my idol,” Betts said. “So she was telling me, ‘Lauren, I don't care what happens in the game. If you miss 10 layups, if you're open to run that midrange shoot the ball. Trust yourself."

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Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

UCLA Center, Lauren Betts (51) defends an attempt at the basket during a NCAA Womens' Basketball game against the Ohio State, February 5, 2025 in Los Angeles.

Boston's Admiration for Betts and Vice Versa

Boston reflected on that moment with Betts on an episode of her Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker, where she sung the UCLA center's praises and explained just exactly why defending her has to be an all hands on deck effort from opposing teams.

“I love Lauren [Betts]. Just watching her play and just knowing how great she can be, I was excited that she was at USA," Boston said. "She’s dominating. You look at her… the rim-runs, the deep seals, she makes it hard. You have to double. You have to double and if you don’t she’s going to have a field day.”

Boston is, of course, a good player to emulate. The 2023 WNBA Rookie of the year and two-time All-Star plays a similar role on the court as Betts and her dominance and versatility in the paint provides a preview for the kind of success that Betts can have in the WNBA.

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Robert Talamantes- The Sporting Tribune

UCLA C Lauren Betts (51) scores over two defenders during an NCAA basketball game against the Michigan Wolverans, Wednesday January 1st, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Betts was the lone college player invited to USA Basketball's training camp and she made the most of that experience by soaking up all of the wisdom she could from her childhood idol.

“When I asked Lauren when she came back, tell me the highlight of your experience. I thought she was going to say ‘They told me that I did okay and I did well and I was the only college player that was invited," UCLA head coach Cori Close said (via Grant Young of SI). "But, she didn’t say that. She said it was a lunch conversation with Aliyah Boston and she talked about how impactful she had been for her and how much she looked up to her growing up."

ALIYAH BOSTON AND CANDACE PARKER TALKING LAUREN BETTS “DOMINATING” ON @PostMovesShow pic.twitter.com/fMPtAYaZ5h
— the #2 ucla bruins (@bettsnation) January 8, 2026

How Betts Has Leveled Up

In addition to her midrange shot, Betts has emerged as much more of a playmaker than she's been in past seasons. While her scoring and rebounding numbers are down, a natural consequence of the defensive pressure she faces, she's averaging a career-high three assists per game.

The talent that Betts is surrounded with helps with that playmaking. While UCLA's admittedly effective strategy last season was to feed Betts the ball under the hoop at any cost, this season she has an abundance of weapons around the perimeter to work with.

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Jordan Teller - The Sporting Tribune

Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates a made three point shot during an NCAA basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins, Sunday January 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Senior forward Gabriela Jaquez has emerged as one of the most efficient scorers in the country with a 58% field goal percentage while the addition of senior guard Gianna Kneepkens has made possibly the biggest difference. Kneepkens has the sixth-highest three point percentage in the country at 46.96% and she's in the top 50 of shooters in the country in overall field goal percentage at 52.76%.

Boston taking Betts under her wing represents the transfer of knowledge from one of the best young players in the WNBA today to a player that will be leading the charge in what promises to be one of the best WNBA draft classes in history after this college season and it's that willingness that Close, who once coached Boston for USA Basketball, appreciates about the Fever star.

"I give Aliyah so much props for being so extending," Close said. "It could have been really easy for her just to be like ‘Oh, let the little one fend for herself.' But she didn’t. She just really took time to pour into her.”

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