Flash back to a year ago when the UCLA Bruins’ season came to an end at the hands of the UConn Huskies in the Final Four. Overall, it was a humiliating experience for UCLA, which received little production outside of Lauren Betts.
Betts finished with a game-high 26 points while shooting 11-of-16 from the field. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. It was actually one of her best games of that season against the eventual national champions.
But for the Bruins to get over that hump and win a national championship of their own, that wasn’t going to cut it. UCLA desperately needed production from the rest of the team if it wanted to be taken seriously as a title threat.
That’s why this season, one of the major points of emphasis for UCLA head coach Cori Close has been maximizing the output of the pieces around Betts.
“I think Lauren would be the first to say that that’s been the biggest difference from last year to this year, is everybody’s understanding of how they can contribute. We’re not all just standing around staring at Lauren,” Close said during her pre-championship game press conference. “That’s been a real intentional area of focus, is that everybody understands what their value is.”
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During UCLA’s Final Four win against Texas, Close felt like the team didn’t always do a good job of playing off Betts and moving without the ball. Even so, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez were able to provide just enough offensive support to power the Bruins across the finish line.
The trio all finished in double figures in scoring, with Rice’s 11 points and Kneepkens and Jaquez with 10 points each. There were a couple of possessions where they were able to find the seams in the defense and attack off the dribble. Kneepkens was also able to get herself free from distance, hitting 2-of-5 from the 3-point line.
This is Kneepkens’ first and only season playing alongside Betts, and for her, the key is recognizing when the defense is overplaying Betts and adjusting accordingly.
“Being part of this team, you kind of have to know when to take your shot and when you find someone else that’s maybe hot. I think Lauren also does a really good job of that,” Kneepkens said prior to UCLA’s game against South Carolina. “I’ve just been trying to move off her. When she’s doubled, maybe look for cuts. Gabs [Gabriela Jaquez] also does a really good job of cutting, but just finding the openings. If you just stand around, it’s a little hard, but the more you move, the easier it is.”
Jaquez is another player who has learned how to pick and choose her spots offensively when playing alongside Betts. It’s helped lead to a career season with her averaging 13.2 points and shooting 53.8% from the field and 38.7% from the 3-point line, per Sports Reference.
One of the biggest differences for her from last season to this one is Betts’ continued development in reading how the defense plays her and in finding her teammates with her vision and precision passes out of the post.
“With Lauren, we kind of say sometimes she’s like a point guard out there. She has to read the defenders, she has to find open people, and I think that’s what makes her so special,” Jaquez said before UCLA’s game against South Carolina. “She draws so much attention, and the way she can kick out and find the shooters, the cutters, it makes her really special, and that’s a very great skill for us.”
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While Kneepkens and Jaquez often find themselves the beneficiaries of catch-and-shoot opportunities and strong cuts around the basket, Rice is able to find open lanes and take advantage of her slashing game.
Betts’ expanded offensive game has included stepping away from the paint and knocking down the occasional midrange jumper. The middle isn’t always clogged, and that’s given Rice driving lanes to attack the basket and get herself to the free-throw line. She has also been able to cut off-ball, with Betts able to find her.
“It’s been one of the things I feel like she’s improved the most. Her ability to find shooters and cutters and find people on the perimeter … it’s just grown so much. I think that’s a huge thing for this team because teams are going to have to send one, two, three people at her,” Rice said before UCLA’s game against South Carolina. “As guards, we should be ready to move off the ball and knock down those shots. We all just want to give a ton of credit to her ability to find us out there and really read those double-teams because it makes a big difference for our team.”
But even with Betts anchoring a balanced offensive attack with her passing, she’s still the primary offensive option with her unmatched ability to score around the basket. Very few teams in the country have the size and defense that can match her.
Getting her the ball in the post and in the proper position to be effective is a role that’s been embraced by Charlisse Leger-Walker. If Betts is a maestro of scoring in the paint, Leger-Walker is the equivalent in terms of playmaking.
She’s leading the team in assists at 5.7, and she had a team-high four assists in the win against Texas. And it’s not only Betts whom Leger-Walker is tasked with getting the ball; it’s the entire team. Her presence is one of the major differences from last year when it comes to balancing the offensive game plan.
“A lot of it has been learning Lauren and where she likes to catch the ball, where she has her best entry point moves from, and Lauren is such a great target to have. She has really good hands and really good feet, and that has been such a fun thing for me to play with her this year,” Leger-Walker said before UCLA’s game against South Carolina.
“Our other posts are amazing as well. Angela [Dugalić] is down there, Gabs [Gabriela Jaquez] plays post sometimes. For me, it’s really understanding the strengths of each of those players and where I want them to get the ball and get into their best positions on the floor … just practice and reps and trusting that they trust me to make those passes into them.”
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