STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball Tara VanDerveer announced the signings of two prep standouts to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday for the early signing period. Lauren Betts (Centennial, Colo./Grandview) and Talana Lepolo (Concord, Calif./Carondelet) will join the Cardinal ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Stanford's class is again one of the nation's strongest, collectively rated No. 5 by espnW HoopGurlz.
"We are thrilled to welcome two new signees to the program, both are great players and great people," commented VanDerveer. "I look at this duo as 'bookend' type players, as Lauren is a true center and Talana a true point guard. They both have incredible basketball IQ and we can't wait for them to arrive at Stanford!"
Betts and Lepolo will join a squad that won the national championship in 2021 and boasts 33 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, 14 Final Fours and 20 straight 20-win seasons.
Lauren Betts
6-7 • Centennial, Colo. • GrandviewThe consensus No. 1 player in the country, Lauren Betts is a dominant post player on both ends of the floor. She becomes the third No. 1 recruit to select Stanford, joining Chiney Ogwumike and future teammate Haley Jones.
With three seasons at Grandview High School under her belt, she averaged 17.5 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior, named the 2021 Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year. As a sophomore, she led Grandview to the state championship before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Betts has already won two gold medals with USA Basketball, including one this summer at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup. Betts was the youngest player on the team and averaged 11.1 ppg. and team-highs of 9.6 rpg. and 1.9 bpg.
"Stanford has been one of my dream schools for as long as I can remember," said Betts. "I chose Stanford because of the high level academics and the elite basketball program. I know I will be given the tools to go wherever I want to go in the future."
"If there's one word to describe Lauren, it's dominant," commented VanDerveer. "Obviously her size is a key strength, and we expect her to be a tremendous impact player. She is a scorer, an unselfish player and can control the paint on both ends of the court."
Talana Lepolo
5-7 • Concord, Calif. • CarondeletTalana Lepolo arrives to Stanford as the No. 70 player in her class with a portfolio of elite point guard skills.
She led her Cal Stars club team to the prestigious Nike Nationals EYBL Championship this past summer, earning All-Tournament honors in the process.
"These two signees are a foot different in height, but similar in their command of their position," said VanDerveer. "Talana is a dominant point guard with great vision and an outstanding basketball IQ. She can pass and score, and we look forward to her addition to the team!"