Huskies working to make Bettencourt feel at home
STORRS — Inês Bettencourt was supposed to be starting her freshman year at Northwest Florida State College on Aug. 17.
The Portugese point guard had finished all her needed paperwork and visa documentation in advance of joining the Fraiders’ program — part of an athletic department with just four sports (men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball). In 2019, the junior college had an undergraduate population of about 5,000.
But Bettencourt never made the trip to Florida.
Instead, she’s now playing for the most iconic collegiate program in the country: UConn women’s basketball.
“It is really crazy because I was expecting to go to another place when I got this offer. I couldn’t refuse it,” Bettencourt said Thursday in the Huskies’ practice gym at Werth Champions Basketball Center.
The newest Husky arrived in Storrs on Aug. 29 after making her commitment to UConn official Aug. 26. While she hasn’t had time yet to practice, her new teammates, especially the four other international players, have already embraced her.
“Inês, I love her. She’s so cute. Like, I can really like see myself in her. She’s 17; I was 18 when I first came here,” said junior Nika Mühl, who’s from Croatia. “… She looks a little bit lost, we’re trying to show her around, teach her what’s going on, like everything, how it’s gonna be. But I’m really super excited for her. She’s gonna be great this season.”
UConn’s assistant coach Morgan Valley first made contact with Bettencourt less than 20 days ago.
Bettencourt represented Portugal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship, Division B, during the last week of July in Bulgaria. She led the country and was ranked fourth overall in the tournament with 14.4 points per game and 4.6 steals, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Bettencourt led Portugal to the championship game.
On Aug. 1, UConn star Paige Bueckers tore her ACL in a pickup game on campus. The program announced a few days later that she would be out for
the 2022-23 season. With Mühl likely taking over for Bueckers, the Huskies were now in need of a backup point guard.
After Valley reached out, Bettencourt knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“I mean, it’s UConn, I could never refuse an offer like this,” she said.
Bettencourt refiled all her needed documentation last Sunday with UConn and flew Monday with her parents from the island of Azores to Connecticut.
Stepping foot in the state on Monday was her first time in the United States. While she hasn’t had time yet to explore, she says she already misses the food back home in Portugal.
Bettencourt joins Ayanna Patterson and Ice Brady as part of the Huskies’ freshman class. The three of them, plus grad transfer Lou Lopez Senechal, are UConn’s four new players this season.
Despite having little experience practicing with her new UConn teammates, Lopez Senechal, from France, said she wants to make sure she can help Bettencourt in any way she needs.
“As a freshman who has never been to the United States, she’s going to need support, but it seems like she’s a stable person,” Lopez Senechal said. “I know me and the other girls are going to be there for her, help her with anything she needs (so) she feels comfortable. Being far away from home, I know there are going to be ups and downs, missing your family and all that.”
Bettencourt lives in an apartment with Bueckers, Amari DeBerry and Dorka Juhász.
Juhász, who’s from Hungary, said she’s really excited for Bettencourt and to have more international players on the team.
“I think it’s always good to have somebody that can help them through the first year, because it can be really hard,” Juhász said. “Like, I
remember my freshman year, you know, just new to this, like a second language of school was pretty hard and all of that so we’re gonna help her through it.
“I think her English is great and she’s already coming talking to us so I think it’s gonna be a nice little international squad, mixed in with the Americans. It’s been fun.”
While the team has yet to hold official practices, they’ve worked out together in the gym and in the weight room. Bueckers said sometimes during pickup games the international players will face off against the U.S. players.
“She came here, like all of a sudden, it was just like a big surprise for all of us,” Mühl said. “... I feel like mentally she’s very tough. Like, that’s the kind of feeling that I had from her. So I’m sure she’ll do great. She has all of us older guys to lean on, we’re definitely going to be a lot of help for her. She has nothing to worry about. She just has to work hard, which I have no doubt that she will.”
Bettencourt said she’d been following UConn the past few years, especially because of Bueckers.
She describes her own game as a player who likes to “play fast” and be a playmaker when she needs to while also sharing the ball. When the season does start, she’ll likely come off the bench to give Mühl some rest.
“Inês is a true point guard,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in the press release of her addition. “She
loves to distribute the ball and can make shots. She’s used to playing in the European style of ball movement, ball screens, lots of 2-man game, 3-man game. I think she’s a tough kid and a great competitor. I’m thrilled that we were able to find her.”
Bettencourt is the program’s first player from Portugal. She said she’s been thinking about playing collegiately in the U.S. for the past few years because she wants to be able to play while also earning her degree.
“In Portugal, it’s really difficult to play basketball and get a major at a university at the same time,” she said. “You’re only focused on one thing over the other. So in the U.S. it’s way easier to do everything at the same time.”
Bettencourt turns 18 later this month. It’ll be her first birthday away from home and without her parents. While it can be overwhelming and scary being in a new country, not knowing anyone nor speaking the native language, she knows she’s already found a new family to look out for her.
“They were nicer than I was expecting because as an international player you never know what to expect, right?” she said. “... The campus is amazing, the team is amazing too, the staff, and I’m excited to begin practices and game days. Everything . ... I know it’s going to be hard, but I think the whole team is going to help me.”