UCLA star Lauren Betts goes third overall to the Washington Mystics

The best center in UCLA Bruins women’s basketball history has a new home. Lauren Betts was taken fourth overall by the Washington Mystics, heading across the country to begin her WNBA journey.

Betts was projected to go to Washington in ESPN’s last WNBA mock draft, so to see Betts land with the Mystics isn’t a surprise. The Mystics are fresh off of a 16-28 season, with Washington last making the playoffs in 2023.

Betts scored 14.6 points per game, while adding 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks during UCLA’s national championship season. The numbers were a bit down from Betts’ monster junior season but it led to more team success, with the Bruins setting a single-season win record for the second year in a row. In addition to the team’s success, Betts became the program’s all-time leader in blocks despite playing at Stanford for her freshman season.

Last year, the Mystics took forward Kiki Iriafen fourth overall out of USC. A year later, Washington doubled down on frontcourt players from Southern California by selecting Betts. In 2022, the Mystics took 6’5” center/forward Shakira Austin third overall.

With Betts. Austin and Iriafen all in the frontcourt, Washington has plenty of options to choose from. It also means Betts will have to impress to earn playing time during her rookie season. Washington will also have a familiar face for Betts, as new Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere served as an assistant coach for the Bruins this past season.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's Lauren Betts gets taken third overall by the Washington Mystics