The Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball program landed a commitment from four-star 2024 recruit Tyler Betsey, a wing out of Connecticut’s St. Thomas More. Here’s what you need to know:
- Betsey chose Cincinnati over fellow finalists UConn and Alabama.
- He is the 32nd-rated prospect in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
- Betsey won Connecticut’s 2022-23 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. He also played for NY Rens on the EYBL grassroots circuit.
- Cane Broome, an assistant coach for St. Thomas More, played at Cincinnati from 2017 to 2019 under former Bearcats coach Mick Cronin. Betsey joins fellow four-star commit Tyler McKinley in Cincinnati’s 2024 class.
Scouting report
Betsey has great positional size at 6-foot-8 and is developing into a solid 3-and-D wing. He is a smooth shooter with a quick release that can shoot it from deep with ease. He uses his length to jump passing lanes to get a lot of deflections or steals creating easy scoring opportunities for himself. When engaged, he has the tools to be a plus defender with versatility on the perimeter. Betsey is an overall good athlete with natural instincts that will be used as a floor spacer at the next level.
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He didn’t shoot it well from 3-point range at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam (32.1 percent) but during the regular season, he shot 40-of-114 from behind the arc (35.1 percent). I would like to see him create more shots from himself off the bounce but what he does well will earn him minutes as a freshman as he continues to expand his game. — Tobias Bass, basketball recruiting writer
What this means for Cincinnati
The commitment is a massive one for coach Wes Miller and the Bearcats. Betsey would be Cincinnati’s third highest-rated signee of the 247Sports era and the highest since Jermaine Lawrence back in 2013. His frame and athleticism on the perimeter are an ideal fit for Miller’s transition- and flow-centric offense.
Combined with McKinley in 2024 and incoming freshmen Jizzle James and Rayvon Griffith, a pair of top-75 prospects in the 2023 class, Cincinnati is building a strong foundation of young talent as the Bearcats begin Big 12 play this season. — Justin Williams, Cincinnati Bearcats writer
What’s next for Bearcats on the recruiting trail?
With most of the 2024 prospects off the board, the Bearcats secured an official visit from former NBAer Jason Richardson’s son Jase, a four-star recruit in late September. Richardson has already officially visited Alabama and Michigan State but is looking to make a decision by mid-October.
Wes Miller and staff are also actively pursuing five-star center Jayden Quaintance, who reclassified to the 2024 class in July. He was scheduled to visit Cincinnati on October 13 but will visit Florida instead. — Bass
Required reading
(Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
