Class of 2024 SF Tyler Betsey (CT) TRANSFERRING TO SYRACUSE (5/2/25)

[Orangezoo]

Hate to do this, but people just keep repeating 3 and D like it's fact...what evidence do people have that suggested he plays good D?

He certainly can get better, he's very young still, but it would need to be a massive improvement.

But his metrics are basically even with Chris Bell.

Here's a post from a Cincy board:

"I struggled with Betsey this year. Good shooter, but his lack of athleticism is what definitely kept him off the floor. Couldn’t beat anyone off the dribble or when mismatched couldn’t really go into the post either and was a liability on defense. Have a hard time seeing him being a top contributor/starter in any major league without that athleticism."

He can shoot though, I'm 100% down with that. It's going to be a huge help when we need to knock down a shot. But the D thing is, by all accounts, a work in progress. On top of the fact, Red hasn't shown the ability to make anyone an elite defender unless we get them that way.

I think this is fair. There is certainly talent to work with. He’s not obviously coming in to be the 6th man, like a Deng would have been. Instead it’s a kid who can hopefully get better and add value off the bench. Hopefully he can come in and show improvement.

Good news is that if all he does is add another shooter, we have rim protection this year and there wouldn’t be reliance on him being a major contributor. We have to get back to winning again to get the guys like Deng and Valencia to come off the Bench vs being starters even with being better funded.

 

[djcon57]

His transfer portal highlights pretty much showcase his shooting/offensive game but these highlights show his potential defensively

Not sure if serious. Chris Bell's highlights show a bunch of awesome blocks.

 

[djcon57]

I think this is fair. There is certainly talent to work with. He’s not obviously coming in to be the 6th man, like a Deng would have been. Instead it’s a kid who can hopefully get better and add value off the bench. Hopefully he can come in and show improvement.

Good news is that if all he does is add another shooter, we have rim protection this year and there wouldn’t be reliance on him being a major contributor. We have to get back to winning again to get the guys like Deng and Valencia to come off the Bench vs being starters even with being better funded.

If we keep him invested in the program and he improves and stays, it's a great pickup.

For the roster next year? he can shoot.

 

[pearl31]

If we keep him invested in the program and he improves and stays, it's a great pickup.

For the roster next year? he can shoot.

and at this stage of the '25 portal game, a solid pickup

 

[Cappy3]

This is exactly the type of guy I’ve been hoping for. Good size, decent shot. Not a finished product for sure but lots to work with.

 

[Orangezoo]

If we keep him invested in the program and he improves and stays, it's a great pickup.

For the roster next year? he can shoot.

Exactly

 

[orangefog]

I really liked Betsey coming out of high school. He was top 15 at one point, I believe. I'm not sure why he dropped to the 50s, but he has real talent. He fits the mold of a Syracuse SF. He may come off the bench this year, but he could be a star next year.

 

[hoopsupstate]

This roster has a lot of length which can lead to deflections and run outs. Last year we had very little length. With length you can put pressure on the ball without being all over your man. It helps to keep guys in front of you. Having guys behind you who can also block shots, should really help our defense to improve.

 

[jordville]

Hate to do this, but people just keep repeating 3 and D like it's fact...what evidence do people have that suggested he plays good D?

He certainly can get better, he's very young still, but it would need to be a massive improvement.

But his metrics are basically even with Chris Bell.

Here's a post from a Cincy board:

"I struggled with Betsey this year. Good shooter, but his lack of athleticism is what definitely kept him off the floor. Couldn’t beat anyone off the dribble or when mismatched couldn’t really go into the post either and was a liability on defense. Have a hard time seeing him being a top contributor/starter in any major league without that athleticism."

He can shoot though, I'm 100% down with that. It's going to be a huge help when we need to knock down a shot. But the D thing is, by all accounts, a work in progress. On top of the fact, Red hasn't shown the ability to make anyone an elite defender unless we get them that way.

I’m going by his high school play. I watched him play in his EYBL days. 3&D was his MO. But I did not watch a Cincy game, so I’m not speaking of his most recent play.

 

[Orangefizz]

If you look at good teams in the tournament they have multiple 3 and D guys. We’re starting to accumulate our share now.

 

[Niastri]

He was ranked the #24 player in the class of 2024 by On3. I am sure someone will note that this doesn’t count because they don’t like On3.

I don’t put a lot of faith into the ranking by the recruiting services but I do in the offers players get. Tyler was offered by Duke, UConn, Bama. That is all I need to know.

This guy can play. I am delighted to see him in Orange.

45th highest rated recruit in his class according to RSCI.

Men's Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) Rankings - 2024 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Men's Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) Rankings - 2024

www.sports-reference.com

 

[Cusefan0307]

45th highest rated recruit in his class according to RSCI.

Men's Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) Rankings - 2024 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Men's Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI) Rankings - 2024

www.sports-reference.com

If you look at that list there’s a LOT of top 50 freshmen that struggled this year. Only 20 averaged double figures and 11 of those were ranked in the top 15. Betsey was one of 15 players that averaged less than 5 ppg.

A bunch of these guys will turn into good players as upperclassmen, but freshmen aren’t making the impact they have in the past.

 

[Niastri]

Hate to do this, but people just keep repeating 3 and D like it's fact...what evidence do people have that suggested he plays good D?

He certainly can get better, he's very young still, but it would need to be a massive improvement.

But his metrics are basically even with Chris Bell.

Here's a post from a Cincy board:

"I struggled with Betsey this year. Good shooter, but his lack of athleticism is what definitely kept him off the floor. Couldn’t beat anyone off the dribble or when mismatched couldn’t really go into the post either and was a liability on defense. Have a hard time seeing him being a top contributor/starter in any major league without that athleticism."

He can shoot though, I'm 100% down with that. It's going to be a huge help when we need to knock down a shot. But the D thing is, by all accounts, a work in progress. On top of the fact, Red hasn't shown the ability to make anyone an elite defender unless we get them that way.

Betsey was listed by ESPN on their profile page as being 6’6 175 in April of 2024. Now he is transferring listed at 6’8 225. Even if ESPN has outdated height and weight data, he gained 50 lbs in a short period of time. It isn’t shocking he lost some athleticism. I’m pretty sure the same thing happened to Souare…

That said, even the greatest players like Carmelo Anthony have to adjust when gaining weight, and sometimes lose athleticism for a while.

I suppose that would be the downside of gaining so much mass quickly.

That said, he’ll be among the heaviest guys on our team next year, and also looks good shooting the three. A top 50 recruit took some lumps as a freshman, it happens… one year later, they often look much better.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Betsey was listed by ESPN on their profile page as being 6’6 175 in April of 2024. Now he is transferring listed at 6’8 225. Even if ESPN has outdated height and weight data, he gained 50 lbs in a short period of time. It isn’t shocking he lost some athleticism. I’m pretty sure the same thing happened to Souare…

That said, even the greatest players like Carmelo Anthony have to adjust when gaining weight, and sometimes lose athleticism for a while.

I suppose that would be the downside of gaining so much mass quickly.

That said, he’ll be among the heaviest guys on our team next year, and also looks good shooting the three. A top 50 recruit took some lumps as a freshman, it happens… one year later, they often look much better.

His form looks almost identical to Naz Reid. Reid has turned himself into an elite shooter off the bench for the Twolves.

 

[DoctorBombay]

 

[Niastri]

His form looks almost identical to Naz Reid. Reid has turned himself into an elite shooter off the bench for the Twolves.

Betsey has good form, gathers himself well, and seems to take his time getting his shot off. Strangely, the video suggested he shoots 43% from the left top of the key, and 36% from the right top of the key. He looks good shooting. Yet his overall numbers are way worse, only .321 in the year and .279 in conference.

Two thoughts come to mind. One, highlights don’t show all the ridiculous shot selection shots, they only show the makes. It’s possible he gets out of wack with his form, and has a lot of misses as a result. He also might take a lot of forced shots. The coaching staff will need to get him to take only good shots, and harness the ability while toning down the bad decision making.

That brings up my second thought, do we have the coaching staff to make young players better?

 

[djcon57]

Betsey was listed by ESPN on their profile page as being 6’6 175 in April of 2024. Now he is transferring listed at 6’8 225. Even if ESPN has outdated height and weight data, he gained 50 lbs in a short period of time. It isn’t shocking he lost some athleticism. I’m pretty sure the same thing happened to Souare…

That said, even the greatest players like Carmelo Anthony have to adjust when gaining weight, and sometimes lose athleticism for a while.

I suppose that would be the downside of gaining so much mass quickly.

That said, he’ll be among the heaviest guys on our team next year, and also looks good shooting the three. A top 50 recruit took some lumps as a freshman, it happens… one year later, they often look much better.

I could see that...

As far as the Top 50 thing. We waited for 3 years with Benny using that rationale. Same with Symir vs Kadary. The rankings mean very little to me once we see them play at a college level.

Let's just stick with...The kid can shoot

 

[baggerbob]

This roster has a lot of length which can lead to deflections and run outs. Last year we had very little length. With length you can put pressure on the ball without being all over your man. It helps to keep guys in front of you. Having guys behind you who can also block shots, should really help our defense to improve.

The other thing is having quick players helps in recovering if someone does get a step.

 

[powdersmack]

 

[McCuse]

This roster has a lot of length which can lead to deflections and run outs. Last year we had very little length. With length you can put pressure on the ball without being all over your man. It helps to keep guys in front of you. Having guys behind you who can also block shots, should really help our defense to improve.

Helps if we blend in some zone as well. Long arms outstretched!

 

[Niastri]

Regarding Betsy and rebounding, as a 6’8 225 player, his offensive rebounding percentage was 5.1% and his defensive rebounding was 10.4%. A comparable player on last year’s team in rebounding % would be JJ Starling.

His block percentage was 1.4%, getting 5 in 380 minutes on the season. Not exactly the profile of an athletic big man. His steal numbers are unimpressive as well, getting exactly 1 all season long.

I think he could be good depth, maybe he got his freshman jitters out as someone suggested upthread.

In the other hand, we would have been ecstatic getting him as a high school recruit two years ago. Maybe he’s developed in his 10 minutes a game at Cincinnati.

 

[Niastri]

I could see that...

As far as the Top 50 thing. We waited for 3 years with Benny using that rationale. Same with Symir vs Kadary. The rankings mean very little to me once we see them play at a college level.

Let's just stick with...The kid can shoot

It’s just another data point… More highly ranked kids go in to reflect their ranking than tank.

You could really see why Benny Williams was ranked so high. Williams also gave us glimmers of excellence at times. His problem didn’t seem to be his body or his skill level….

Back to Betsey, if Betsey isn’t a head case, perhaps his high initial ranking and potential shine through. Lots of kids have rough freshman years and go on to be very good players.

 

[23Zone]

Hate to do this, but people just keep repeating 3 and D like it's fact...what evidence do people have that suggested he plays good D?

He certainly can get better, he's very young still, but it would need to be a massive improvement.

But his metrics are basically even with Chris Bell.

Here's a post from a Cincy board:

"I struggled with Betsey this year. Good shooter, but his lack of athleticism is what definitely kept him off the floor. Couldn’t beat anyone off the dribble or when mismatched couldn’t really go into the post either and was a liability on defense. Have a hard time seeing him being a top contributor/starter in any major league without that athleticism."

He can shoot though, I'm 100% down with that. It's going to be a huge help when we need to knock down a shot. But the D thing is, by all accounts, a work in progress. On top of the fact, Red hasn't shown the ability to make anyone an elite defender unless we get them that way.

Bell meets Betsey

 

[23Zone]

First observation was a slow AF release

 

[Cuse_NYC]

Set shooter. Doesn’t ever go inside at all ”6’8”. Lacks athleticism. Unsure if he’ll ever contribute, but hope so