Lauren Betts in the Portal

[oldude]

She is not following back

Let’s give her a day or two…

 

[Bone Dog]

Until now, Tara could load up her roster with HS AA’s, and they would almost never leave, content with limited PT in exchange for the prestige of a Stanford sheepskin.

Ain't it the truth. it's not about the quality of the education, really, but the quality of the sheepskin. A Stanford degree on your resumé is just worth more than most other schools. My daughter got hers from Cal, which is comparable, and that degree opened a lot of doors, even though the actual education in her major was only middling. Employers don't know that, though. They just see the credential.

 

[darrell]

She is not following back

True, but she hasn’t followed any other Coach that’s followed her as well. Maybe has an idea where she’s going, maybe just needs some time to evaluate. The interest is there, though.

 

[Fossil]

The only way I see Betts coming to UConn is with an understanding that she's in an understudy role to Edwards/DeBerry/Brady, and that the staff will not make promises of PT nor upset the already existing chemistry that the players have both on and off the court. The ol' sacrifice a little, be part of something big.

On edit - imagine if this is what Geno was referencing?

If Geno were ever to use the word understudy, you could kiss her goodbye.You have them practice and see who’s better that person plays. Deberry has not lived up to her number five ranking. We still don’t know what we have with Brady. At least with Betts there’s tape to see how she is as a player in the college setting. She was once recruited by Geno so I’m sure he saw something in her to begin with. She is a true center, and the only competition would be De berry whereas all the rest of the bigs can be three or fours Edwards is truly a four not a five that would be where the conflict comes in, but she does play the five well. Fair Opportunity for playing time, and Gino needs to get better at subbing. If you look at South Carolina, no one had big minutes she was able to sub a lot.

 

[HuskyNan]

True, but she hasn’t followed any other Coach that’s followed her as well. Maybe has an idea where she’s going, maybe just needs some time to evaluate. The interest is there, though.

She’s following Niele Ivey, Kelly Graves, and the UCLA wbb program

 

[Zarathustra]

Hopefully this won't sound like sour grapes. Obviously, this is really disappointing news, and I feel like we were only starting to see Betts's potential during a good stretch in February before she (and her playing time) receded in March.

That said, watching her felt like listening to a podcast at .75 speed. It always felt like she was slow down the court, slow to get in position, slow to find the rebound, etc. Her touch is actually shockingly good for someone 6'7", as is her body positioning - again, for someone 6'7", she rarely had much foul trouble. She also had a bad tendency to dribble off a rebound, which led to a number of steals. I think she'd do best at a program that either runs the triangle or a lot of high-low action, because she doesn't really have a lot of mobility, and she would be wasted on teams that press or try to get out in transition.

Thanks for the insights! This should be ( IMO) all over in about 14 = 17 days.

 

[UConnCat]

Hopefully this won't sound like sour grapes. Obviously, this is really disappointing news, and I feel like we were only starting to see Betts's potential during a good stretch in February before she (and her playing time) receded in March.

That said, watching her felt like listening to a podcast at .75 speed. It always felt like she was slow down the court, slow to get in position, slow to find the rebound, etc. Her touch is actually shockingly good for someone 6'7", as is her body positioning - again, for someone 6'7", she rarely had much foul trouble. She also had a bad tendency to dribble off a rebound, which led to a number of steals. I think she'd do best at a program that either runs the triangle or a lot of high-low action, because she doesn't really have a lot of mobility, and she would be wasted on teams that press or try to get out in transition.

Interesting on being slow. I thought the same thing the one or two times I watched her.

 

[UConnCat]

She’s following Niele Ivey, Kelly Graves, and the UCLA wbb program

Those are not recent.

 

[Zarathustra]

I'd take Cardoso over Betts in a heartbeat if I had to pick (though I'd be happy with either on any team). Cardoso is an elite level rebounder and finishes well at the basket even if she lacks any range. Runs the floor well and I think she is an excellent rim protector (2 blocks in 19 minutes is solid). She also has a knack for playing her best basketball in big games (vs. UCONN/Iowa/LSU this year).

My instincts, not always rational nor correct, says Betts over Cardoso and over Morrow. My major
pause is team chemistry. But Lauren has already played with Amari and Azzi ( see earlier posts ).

 

[Zarathustra]

She’s following Niele Ivey, Kelly Graves, and the UCLA wbb program

Of those three, my hunch is UCLA. Time for the wait and see!

 

[Zarathustra]

Let’s give her a day or two…

Nice optimism! It ain't over till it's over!!!
I believe that if Lauren meets with our team , on a visit,
we would be in the hunt! Go Lauren! Take your time, it's
three years of Collegiate ball and then a lifetime.

 

[oldude]

Nice optimism! It ain't over till it's over!!!
I believe that if Lauren meets with our team , on a visit,
we would be in the hunt! Go Lauren! Take your time, it's
three years of Collegiate ball and then a lifetime.

We also know that Betts has played on USA basketball teams with Azzi & Amari. So I expect that by now, she’s probably received a text from one or both asking, “What’s up?”

 

[Bone Dog]

Just following out someone else's thought: if Betts want not just more pt but also a ring, right now the best bet to get it is UConn. But she'll just be one star among many, and Paige will be in the ascendant on that team. Is there a team where she can reasonably expect to have a chance at an NC and where she'll be the obvious star? UCLA looks like an obvious pick from this perspective, maybe ND.

 

[cohenzone]

Ain't it the truth. it's not about the quality of the education, really, but the quality of the sheepskin. A Stanford degree on your resumé is just worth more than most other schools. My daughter got hers from Cal, which is comparable, and that degree opened a lot of doors, even though the actual education in her major was only middling. Employers don't know that, though. They just see the credential.

If my cousin or her husband was one of her profs she got a great education

 

[BRS24]

If Geno were ever to use the word understudy, you could kiss her goodbye.You have them practice and see who’s better that person plays. Deberry has not lived up to her number five ranking. We still don’t know what we have with Brady. At least with Betts there’s tape to see how she is as a player in the college setting. She was once recruited by Geno so I’m sure he saw something in her to begin with. She is a true center, and the only competition would be De berry whereas all the rest of the bigs can be three or fours Edwards is truly a four not a five that would be where the conflict comes in, but she does play the five well. Fair Opportunity for playing time, and Gino needs to get better at subbing. If you look at South Carolina, no one had big minutes she was able to sub a lot.

I updated my post when replying to another poster. Didn’t use the correct word. It was more in line with Genos philosophy of not making any promise.

 

[Bone Dog]

If my cousin or her husband was one of her profs she got a great education

I don't doubt it. It totally varies by department at the big universities. Hers was East Asian Studies, and it was marked by the pandemic, too. She'd transferred from Haverford, where the classes were taught by the regular faculty. At Cal, most of the classes were taught by adjuncts and grad students. Most of the undergrads didn't even know who the regular faculty were. After she graduated, she was very clear about this: she loved the university because she fit in well with the huge Asian-American population, and campus life was amazing, but her coursework was decidedly inferior to what she'd had at Haverford.

Sorry for the digression.

 

[HuskyNan]

We also know that Betts has played on USA basketball teams with Azzi & Amari. So I expect that by now, she’s probably received a text from one or both asking, “What’s up?”

The top kids all know each other from AAU and all-star games

 

[MilfordHusky]

The one thing I see in all the comments is that Lauren needs some coach to develop her game. Have her sit down with Tina Charles.

 

[Fossil]

If Betts is in the portal it’s only a matter of days before Brink shows up too. That’s who we really want.

Brink is not going anywhere

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I don't think UCONN should disrupt its current roster to dabble in the portal, especially if the player wants to start. I don't care if Shaq in a wig enters the portal. Betts is big, but to be honest, she has never blown me out of the water with basketball skills. Games I saw she seemed to lumber down the court. Maybe it was just conditioning.

 

[Storrsbred]

IMO, there is no way Betts ends up at UConn. Geno doesn’t spend a moment of time considering players who have parents that insert themselves into the equation.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Boston’s mom liked SC too. We know how that turned out.

Some moms want their daughters to be coached by women. And some women coaches have voiced their opinions about the dominance of men coaches — they’d prefer female student athletes be coached by women. But at the same time, these women coaches, have applauded (rightfully so) women occupying executive positions in male dominated sports.

PS: This is a hot topic, so that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.

 

[Rixxx]

Won't she have to sit a year?

 

[Fossil]

I'm not sold on Close as an elite coach but they'd have Rice/Betts together for 3 years which would be a very good combo. After seeing what Clark/Reese were able to do for their respective teams, I wouldn't be surprised if Betts or other top transfers want to make their mark at an up and coming program rather than join an elite program where they wont be the standout.

Ask Dorko about high profile she’s projected to go first round WNBA. The reason she came to Connecticut was the learn and get better so that she would go high in the WNBA. If that is looking a long-term Connecticut is still high profile and she’ll learn from the best.