LOS ANGELES — Sienna Betts relaxed on a stool, resting her left leg below on a rung between the seat and the court as assistant coach Soh Matsuura repeatedly fed her the basketball.
Just two feet from the rim, the freshman attempted shot after shot into the hoop, one-handed layups and two-handed shots – fit with a full follow-through – was the scene a month and a half ago as the rest of the Bruins hustled up and down the floor with sprints after UCLA coach Cori Close deemed defensive effort against the scout team not up to par.
Life for still-settling-into-UCLA Betts, who ranked second in the class of 2025 on ESPN’s 2025 SportsCenter NEXT 100, just behind USC star freshman Jazzy Davidson, had already not been going according to plan. In a preseason scrimmage against UC Riverside in mid-October, Betts suffered a left lower-leg injury that left the younger sister of senior center Lauren Betts in a walking boot – and out of action for the start of the season.
“She’s so excited to play these games, and it’s hard,” Close said a few weeks ago of Sienna Betts, who was named to the preseason Wooden Award watchlist, honoring the best player in the nation. “Bottom line is – it hurts and it’s hard, and it’s just a matter of, ‘How is she going to choose to respond?’ She’s chosen to respond really well, and I appreciate that difficult choice at her age.”
The repetition. The preparation. The wait for her collegiate debut – after a standout high school career at Grandview High School in Colorado – may be about to arrive. Following UCLA’s Big Ten-opening victory over Oregon last week, Close grabbed the attention of the still-captive Pauley Pavilion crowd during a radio interview pumped through the speakers.
“(Sienna Betts) might be able to get minutes in that game,” Close said of Tuesday, when No. 4 UCLA (9-1) hosts Cal Poly (2-7) at 7 p.m. in a return to non-conference play.
Close, who admitted that teasing Sienna Betts’ potential debut was a marketing ploy of sorts, continued during her post-game press conference: “I’m being honest in the fact of my hope; is that she’s going to be able to give some minutes against Cal Poly. I’m not giving you a guarantee, I’m not telling you it’s for sure going to happen, but I hope that we’re going to be in that place.”
A UCLA Athletics spokesperson told the Southern California News Group that the 19-year-old was “ramping up, and making good progress over the last week.”
The 6-foot-4 forward, who has represented the United States in gold-medal efforts at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, can not only play the four, as the second big on the floor next to her sister, but also can play the wing with a comfortable three-point jump shot – extending the length UCLA can show on the court at any given time.
Lauren Betts, who tallied 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, came off an effort against the Ducks in which she recorded season highs in each category.
Although the elder sister said Sienna Betts is stubborn, her advice ahead of the expected standout freshman’s eventual debut comes down to giving herself some grace before game one as a Bruin.
“(I’m) reminding her of who she is and how valuable she is, and I’m just so excited (for) when she gets to be on the court with me for the first time,” Lauren Betts said. “That’s going to be a really special moment.”
