Lauren Betts needs to make space in her trophy case.
The 6-foot-7 Grandview High School standout on Tuesday was named the Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year for the second straight season. She is the third person to accomplish the feat, joining Katie Cronin (Horizon, 1993-95), Ann Strothers (Highlands Ranch, 2000-02) and three-time award winner Michaela Onyenwere (Grandview, 2014-17).
“Lauren has always presented problems since she arrived at Grandview at 6-foot-7,” Arapahoe High School head coach Jerry Knafelc said in a news release. “This season, Lauren has really improved her overall game. She has developed a consistent mid-range shot, improved her free throws and, more importantly, she has improved her passing and decision-making.”
Betts, the Stanford-bound post player who’s ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 recruit for the 2022 class, is averaging 17.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 blocks for the Wolves this season. She’s led Grandview back to the Class 5A semifinals for the seventh straight season where the team will face Highlands Ranch on Thursday for a spot in the championship.
On the national level, she was the only high-school member of the Team USA U-19 squad that won the gold at 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup.
Off the court, she has a weighted 3.58 grade-point average and has volunteered for Project C.U.R.E., the Ronald McDonald House and as a youth basketball coach.
