Bettencourt is among numerous athletes seeking a fifth season of collegiate eligibility after a Colorado court ruling extended the NCAA’s new five-for-five eligibility framework to Division I athletes who began competing in 2022-23 and had exhausted four seasons of eligibility. Under the NCAA’s new policy, athletes can compete for up to five seasons within a five-year eligibility window tied to full-time college enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday. U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney later clarified that her injunction does not override existing NCAA transfer rules or roster limits.
Because Bettencourt did not enter the transfer portal during the initial April window, her ability to enroll at a new program this fall could hinge on additional court rulings. On Wednesday, a Louisiana judge issued a temporary restraining order allowing a group of athletes to pursue an additional season of eligibility and directing the NCAA to reopen the transfer portal ‘for one week from entry of this order.
Bettencourt joined the UConn roster as a surprise late addition ahead of the 2022-23 season, switching her commitment from junior college program Northwest Florida State. A native of the Azores in Portugal, Bettencourt was unexpectedly thrust into the rotation for a UConn team ravaged by injuries, logging a career-high 29 minutes for the Huskies in a loss to Maryland that season.
Her playing time was nearly cut in half the following year, however, and Bettencourt committed to Gonzaga out of the transfer portal after her sophomore season. Bettencourt started all 33 games for a Gonzaga team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, but her effective field goal percentage dipped below 41% and she committed a turnover on 23% of her possessions — her .66 points per play ranked in the 20th percentile among all Division I players last season, according to HerHoopStats.
