Portal analysis: Syracuse lands commitment from Tyler Betsey

After a couple weeks of silence, Syracuse announced yet another new addition to their basketball program with Tyler Betsey committing to the squad. Betsey, a 6’8” forward who was a top-60 recruit coming out of high school, entered Cincinnati with a reputation as a smooth shooter and good athlete who needed to continue developing his game. He played in 34 of 35 games for the Bearcats as a freshman, posting modest stats of 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game.

Where among the 12 players on the Orange roster will Betsey likely fit in?

Betsey saw considerable minutes to start his freshman campaign, playing double figure minutes in the first eight contests. He was not quite ready for prime time, though, logging his fewest minutes in that span against Villanova, then getting reduced minutes against Xavier, Dayton, and Kansas State. His minutes continued to be trimmed in conference play, as he went through some struggles adjusting to a higher caliber of play.

During those first eight games, Betsey saw the floor for 16.0 minutes per game, averaging 5.4 points per game on 41.7 percent from the field and a sizzling 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range. After that, Betsey shot 32.9 percent overall and 15-of-58 (25.9 percent) from long distance as his playing time slid to under ten minutes per outing.

Betsey played mostly as a stretch four, as evidenced by all 26 of this 3’s being assisted by a teammate, as well as his low marks in usage, assist, turnover, and free throw rates. Another concern is he offered very little contribution on the defensive end of the floor, logging few blocked shots or steals in his limited minutes.

Still a young player, Betsey looks ticketed for a developmental role with Syracuse. There are a glut of players in front of him in forwards Donnie Freeman and Sadiq White and wings Nate Kingz and Kiyan Anthony. As such, he is probably around the fifth forward and will quite possibly see even less time this coming season than he did last year at Cincinnati.

Betsey’s shooting inconsistencies will need to get corrected, especially as a player who profiles as either a stretch four or tall 3-and-D player. He will also need to improve on other facets of his game, including his defense, to increase his likelihood of earning minutes.

As a developmental player, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty what Betsey’s future will look like in Orange, or even how long that future is. He is definitely a player worth taking a shot on to see what he can become.

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