This story appears in SLAM 251. Get your copy now!
When asked how this story should begin, Sienna Betts was a little taken aback as she prepared her answer. He emphasized how important one particular year was to his journey. In 7th grade, Betts decided to retire from football and focus on his true passion of basketball. “Something shifted and I realized what I wanted to do,” she says. His desire to be better drove him to understand what it takes to be one of the greats. “If I want to succeed in basketball, I have to focus.” It was a pivotal moment that would define the next year for him as he began training.
All it took was for him to be in the right place with the right people. Sienna coach Derek Griffin saw potential in him at an early age, challenging him to see that his dream school, UCLA, was more than possible. “He made me realize what I could become in the future, and he got me there,” she says.
During the pandemic, Betts stayed in the gym day after day, working on every aspect of his game. As an 8th grader, she practiced with Colorado royalty: Reagan Beers, Sam Crisp, and of course, her older sister Lauren.
The number of accolades Sienna and Lauren have brought to their home state is remarkable. At Grandview High School, they delivered two state championships and four Gatorade Player of the Year honors. With Lauren currently at UCLA and Sienna committed to the program, the future duo is bound to do incredible things together in Westwood.
How does Sienna explore her own game? “I would describe my game as versatile, high IQ and specialized,” he says. “My whole point (in the game) is that I don’t think about my stats or anything like that. Whatever I can do to win, that’s what I’m going to focus on.”
From the development of her grips to her strong footwork, Sienna has found her rhythm and has yet to quit. The recipe for success has been keeping his feet in the moment and keeping his confidence as he prepared for it. Within a year, Sienna became one of the leading players in all statistical categories of the “Hardwood” elite club team.
Speaking about Sienna’s first year of basketball, Michelle Betts, her mother, says, “He wanted to do it, so he did it.” Drawing a picture of that moment back in 7th grade, Michelle remembers Sienna saying, I don’t want to just be the girl that comes in to play defense and block shots. I want to be a great player.»
He became just that. “Suddenly, all the things he said he wanted to do, he could do them and then some,” Michelle says. “He went and grinded it out and became everything he wanted to be, which I think is incredible.”
The outpouring of support for Sienna has fueled her. “My dad sends me a reminder text before every game,” he says. His most recent text before the FIBA America’s Cup was: Just run across the floor, turn around, I love you so much. You are amazing. The impact of the text was enormous. “I repeat it to get it in my head, and throughout the game and at halftime I repeat it to myself,” Sienna says.
As a gold medalist, two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and state champion, the 7th grader who made the decision to take basketball seriously and is now the top player in the country is simply “just playing my game.”
“I worked to be here,” Betts says. “I have to have confidence in what I do.”
Portraits via Gareth Ellwood.
