Lauren Betts entered college as the No. 1–ranked recruit in the country, and she is now the leading scorer for 1 seed UCLA entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament. But the time in between has not been easy.
Betts, 22, opened up about her struggles with depression in an essay for the Players Tribune, published Thursday, March 19.
“About two years ago, after months of feeling kind of numb, I woke up one morning feeling everything,” she wrote. “Every anxious thought I’d ever had about myself hit me all at once. My anxiety was at an all-time high. My mind said, I don’t want to do this anymore.”
It began, Betts said, at the end of her freshman year at Stanford — an underwhelming season for someone who came in with her level of hype. She transferred to UCLA at the end of the year, but said she didn’t realize she was continuing to suffer.
“The whole time I thought I was treading water, I was actually slipping away,” she continued. “Picture yourself underwater, facing up toward the sky and just … fading. Fading, until you can no longer see the surface. Fading, until you finally reach the darkest part of the ocean. That was me.”
Bruins fans will remember that in Betts’ first season in Westwood, she missed four games in January 2024 to focus on her mental health. She went deeper into that time in her essay, describing a harrowing night at the UCLA hospital when there were no available beds in the psych ward. She spent the night on a gurney in the hallway, “with people screaming and shouting all night.” Betts didn’t sleep.
When she was ready to return to the team, after the Bruins lost two games without her, she decided to be upfront with her teammates.
“I just want you all to know … I’ve been dealing with depression,” she told them. “This is what’s been going on in my head. And yeah … I love you guys so much. And I’m sorry that I had to leave.”
Betts also made it clear that despite everything, she’s thankful she sought help when she did.
“If you’re in a bad headspace and you really need professional help, please go and take care of yourself because it is the BEST option over doing something else,” she urged readers. “But I never want to go back.”
She continued, “More than anything, though, I just never want to feel that low again. I want to be HERE, experiencing life, in all its beauty and all its messiness, for a really really long time. But I know now how thin that line is between having your whole future ahead of you, and not.”
Two years later, Betts is a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year. UCLA is an overwhelming favorite to reach the Final Four for the second straight year and challenge defending champion UConn for the title.
For Betts and the Bruins, their tournament run begins Saturday, March 21, at home against 16 seed Cal Baptist at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
