The favorite, the underdog, the anti-hero and the villain.
Expectations and perception shape archetypes.
But what happens when the hype is so high that the best-case scenario is simply meeting expectations?
Freshman forward Sienna Betts joined No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (22-1, 12-0 Big Ten) as the younger sister of the team’s 6-foot-7 All-American senior center Lauren Betts and the program’s highest-ranked recruit since senior guard Kiki Rice landed in Westwood in 2022.
And with senior guard Gabriela Jaquez’s ability to transcend the label of simply being former-Bruin forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s little sister, the younger Betts was seemingly tasked with the astronomical challenge of helping push the Bruins past the Final Four-hump they faced last season with a breakout freshman campaign.
It was always going to be a tall mountain to climb – it still is.
But Sienna is still going up.
After a preseason leg injury forced her backstage for the first 10 games of the season, her recent performance – partnered with a work ethic and coachability praised by her teammates – may culminate in another flash of what Sienna could be come Sunday.
Sienna is averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds over 21.7 minutes per game across her past three contests heading into Ann Arbor, where UCLA will play its second top-10 opponent in three games, facing No. 8 Michigan (20-3, 11-3).
“She’s found her rhythm,” Rice said. “You can tell from the last two games. She just seems a lot more comfortable out there. … For her as a freshman, obviously she’s learning a lot, but I think you can see the growth.”
Coach Cori Close said much of Sienna’s development has revolved around her forgetting common bad habits from high school and youth basketball while bettering her understanding of how to be an efficient post player. Close added that Sienna’s teammates continuously praise her confidence and fearlessness, which she said has helped her adapt despite her lost time.
Over UCLA’s past four games against Rutgers, then-No. 8 Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern, Sienna’s 23 rebounds are second only to Rice’s 27. Additionally, Sienna’s seven rebounds – in just 22 minutes – led the Bruins against the Hawkeyes.
Rice and Close have both said UCLA is focusing on improving its offensive rebounding ahead of Michigan – a stat the Bruins rank third among Big Ten teams in, while the Wolverines place first – an effort Sienna could be a part of as the team’s current fourth-best offensive rebounder.
“We should be attacking boards and trying to get those extra possessions,” said graduate student forward Angela Dugalic. “Those are really going to matter in these types of games.”
The Wolverines appear to be shaping up as the Bruins’ best opponent over the final six contests of the regular season – something that could be perceived as the Bruins’ last high-pressure matchup before March.
Still, with a team of just four non-seniors or graduate students, keeping Sienna’s development at the forefront seems key.
“She just needs reps in pressurized situations – she’s going to get it,” Close said on Sienna’s development. “We have the advantage in the post and size-wise against Michigan. That’s going to be a really important part of the game plan.”
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