With March Madness in full swing, UCLA superstar Lauren Betts has proven to be one of the best centers in the league. However because of her size when she was still in high school, she was bullied constantly. It was her middle school basketball coach, Ervin Johnson (not Magic Johnson) who put her in the right track.
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Lauren Betts came to Laredo Middle School in Aurora, Colorado as a tall girl with an accent that her classmates struggled to understand. This led to them making fun of her as she was already almost 6 feet tall in middle school. However, that was when Johnson, a former NBA player, stepped in and talked to her and helped make her the unstoppable force that she is.
Because Coach Johnson helped her turn her life around after going to the US after years of living in Spain, this touched many fans, especially has Betts faced much bullying during that time.
"Boss sauce!" said one commenter.
"Kids can be so cruel. Lauren is having the last laugh! She bright girl!" another commenter added.
"We see you @laurenmariebetts 👏 Congrats on everything you’ve already accomplished!! So glad you’ve had support of some wonderful coaches along the way, it seems ❤️" said another person.
There were also several commenters praising Coach Johnson for being able to see a diamond in the rough and turning her into one of the biggest college stars in women's basketball.
"What an awesome human," said one commenter.
"Ervin played for the Sonics in the 90s," said another person.
"Why would someone bully her? She looks like a good kid," one person pointed out.
Coach Johnson told her bullies off and said she would be great one day. Given how well she is doing now, it seems he was right.
How good was Lauren Betts in high school?
After Coach Johnson helped her out, Lauren Betts slowly morphed to become one of the most dominant high school centers in the country. At Grandview High School in Aurora, Colorado, she immediately made an impact, helping lead the school to the finals of the state's Class 5A state tournament, though they fell short.
Despite this, she slowly improved and became even more dominant. She was named Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year twice and eventually led her school to the Class 5A state championship in her senior year. She also played in both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
