“He kicked our butts all preseason long”: Lauren Betts credits UCLA trainer for her quickness and mobility

UCLA center Lauren Betts credited Bruins trainer Ashley Samaniego for her much-improved quickness and mobility this season.

The 6-foot-7 Betts dominated the court on Monday against Baylor. She finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a school-record nine blocks, leading No. 1-ranked UCLA (18-0, 6-0 in Big Ten) to a 72-57 victory over No. 25 Baylor in New Jersey.

In a post-game conference with UCLA coach Cori Close and teammate Gabriela Jaquez, Betts was asked by one reporter about her improved quickness and mobility.

The center thanked Samaniego for getting the team, including herself, in the best shape possible during the preseason and helping her upgrade her skills for this season.

"On the mobility part, I got to give a shout out to Ash (Samaniego), our trainer, because he kicked our butts all preseason long," Betts said (3:40).

"This summer, just working on fast sprints, just getting moving a little bit. I think that has to do a lot with how I'm moving this year. So I got to get a lot of credit to him and all the work that he put us through," she added. (3:46)

Then, the UCLA center noted that she has been working on her decision-making since the preseason. The repetitions she has been having during practices have helped her make better decisions during games, according to her.

She also credited her teammates for moving without the ball in quick reads, making her work on the court much easier.

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Lauren Betts' performance against Baylor serves Player of the Year notice

Lauren Betts' near triple-double against Baylor has served notice to various award-giving bodies that she is in contention for these major honors.

The 6-foot-7 center has led the UCLA Bruins with averages of 20.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. She shot 61.4% from the field and her interior presence has caused her opponents to alter their shots to avoid her outstretched arms that always look for a rejection.

Betts and the Bruins will have a busy week beginning on Thursday as they visit Rutgers at the Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Three days later, they'll visit No. 8-ranked Maryland in a game set at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland.

Rutgers (8-11, 0-8) is coming off an 87-71 loss to Michigan on Saturday while Maryland (16-2, 6-1) lost to No. 7 Texas 89-51 in the second game of the Coretta Scott King Classic.

The two games against conference rivals would further test the Bruins' ability to contend in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Wins over these teams will cement UCLA's bid as one of the top teams in the nation.