University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Photo by: Caren Nicdao
Betts, Jaquez, Kneepkens Named National Positional Award Finalists
March 13, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ Three Bruins were named finalists on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame positional award top five lists released this week.
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Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens is a finalist for the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Senior Gabriela Jaquez is up for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award, and senior Lauren Betts looks to repeat as Lisa Leslie Center of the Year after capturing the honor in 2024-25.
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Kneepkens is one of three players in the 50-40-90 club this season, an elite mark of an efficient shooter. The guard boasts .518/.442/.952 shooting splits, scoring 13.4 points per game. She's one of five active players with 300+ made 3-pointers in their careers. Kneepkens ranks 85th all-time with her 324 makes from long range.
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Jaquez has had a stellar senior campaign and contributed in a major way. The Camarillo, Calif., native is averaging career bests in points (13.6) and steals (1.1); Jaquez is also shooting her best across all metrics (.543/.411/.867). She's started every game this season.
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Betts was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year; the center became the first player in the conference to capture both awards in the same season. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game; the center already has the most single-season assists (98) in her career, averaging 3.2 helpers per game. Betts is closing in on 1,000-career rebounds and 250-career blocks and has more than 1,800-career points.
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Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens is a finalist for the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Senior Gabriela Jaquez is up for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award, and senior Lauren Betts looks to repeat as Lisa Leslie Center of the Year after capturing the honor in 2024-25.
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Kneepkens is one of three players in the 50-40-90 club this season, an elite mark of an efficient shooter. The guard boasts .518/.442/.952 shooting splits, scoring 13.4 points per game. She's one of five active players with 300+ made 3-pointers in their careers. Kneepkens ranks 85th all-time with her 324 makes from long range.
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Jaquez has had a stellar senior campaign and contributed in a major way. The Camarillo, Calif., native is averaging career bests in points (13.6) and steals (1.1); Jaquez is also shooting her best across all metrics (.543/.411/.867). She's started every game this season.
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Betts was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year; the center became the first player in the conference to capture both awards in the same season. She leads UCLA in points (16.4), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.9) per game; the center already has the most single-season assists (98) in her career, averaging 3.2 helpers per game. Betts is closing in on 1,000-career rebounds and 250-career blocks and has more than 1,800-career points.
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