When the U.S. U18 Women’s basketball team travels to Bucaramanga, Colombia, next week, players and coaches expect to return with gold.
As coach Teri Moren said after the U18 team’s practice Sunday morning, “There is no plan B.”
During their training camp session at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, players showed that sense of urgency.
Especially Grandview High School’s Sienna Betts.
Betts, who is committed to play basketball with her sister Lauren at UCLA in 2025, seldom allowed a bucket on defense and either forced players to pass out of the paint or swatted shots out of play.
During one drill, Betts blocked teammate Arianna Roberson, then, as players switched from offense to defense, Betts caught the ball in the paint, faked a spin move to her left, pivoted to the right and kissed the ball off the glass with her left hand.
“Sienna is a nice, sweet kid, but she gets after it on the court,” Moren said. “She’s receptive and coachable. She applies all the teaching points we have. She was impressive during trials and made the team for a reason. She’s someone we’re going to rely on when we go over to Colombia.”
Betts, the reigning two-time Colorado girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year, posted monster numbers for Grandview as a junior, including career highs in points (22.5), assists (4.6), steals (2.2) and blocks (3.3).
Although her 15.6 rebounds per contest weren’t a career high, that mark placed her 47th in the country.
Betts realizes she’s capable of similar numbers for the U18 team but said Betts is cognizant of her role.
“I just need to focus (on playing center) and I don’t really need to do anything more,” Betts said. “We’re trying to get a gold medal. This isn’t about me or my stats. This is about me doing my part to win. … It’s exciting and it’s cool to play with this level of talent. And they have your back if you’re off your game, whether that’s mentally or physically.”
Moren said players continue to grasp the concept of “team” as they work through their five-day training camp ahead of the AmeriCup.
The U18 team, which has won 10 consecutive AmeriCup medals since 2000, will play in Group B starting June 17 and will face teams such as Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Moren knows players will mesh to make it 11 consecutive golds.
“One of the things I said to them before we started is that we have to take whatever institute we represent, you have to take that hat off,” Moren said. “Right now they represent one team, and that’s the United States. They understand that they have teammates who are talented. … Our goal is to go over there and win a gold medal with some of the best players in the country.”
