There's a different mindset for Lauren Betts and UCLA this year
Coming off of a Final Four season it would have been easy for Lauren Betts to keep the same approach this year but Cori Close convinced her otherwise.
Sometimes the biggest step you can take is letting go. That was a reality that the UCLA Bruins faced last year after their season-ending blowout loss to UConn in the Final Four. After the game, Cori Close realized that to take the next step, UCLA would have to adjust.
The initial adjustment was getting to work in the transfer portal, adding the ideal transfer in Gianna Kneepkens to transform the Bruins ability from three. The next step was an adjustment that had to come within. Lauren Betts has seen her statistics drop across the board in her senior season.
It’s not because Betts has suddenly gotten worse, it’s because she’s become the player that UCLA needs her to be to become a true national title contender. “I remember this conversation I had with Lauren Betts last Spring. I said ‘Look, if you want to get what you want, you need to have your usage rate go down and your efficiency go up and we need more people to feel like they’re go-to players.
’” Close said on the Flagrant and Funny show last week . UCLA was top heavy last year. Yes, they were still a great team, but they didn’t have the depth of the other elite programs, which was highlighted by UConn in the Final Four.