2024 Recruiting: Tyler Betsey down to 7 schools

[bendm]

Not seeing how GG and Joey C/#5 are related?

Whoops thought he was a frosh last year. Felt like his recruitment was being discussed forever ago.

 

[PNolanFan]

Just had a momentary freakout, saw Betsey's story posted a final 4 and we were not included, after 10 seconds of disappointment I realized it was just a repost of someone else's final 4

 

[Storrs South]

 

[bendm]

Recruiting is hard. Even the summer after winning a damn chip.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Other than for the crowd that thinks every local kid is a UConn lock was there ever any indication that we had any particular advantage over other programs with this kid? If there was I missed it.

 

[navery12]

Other than for the crowd that thinks every local kid is a UConn lock was there ever any indication that we had any particular advantage over other programs with this kid? If there was I missed it.

There was not. I think a lot of people here conflated the idea of "I really want this kid to be at UConn" with "this kid really wants to be at UConn"

 

[auror]

The Alabama sales pitch is a good one and Oats is both a good coach and recruiter.

I don't see the appeal of Cincinnati at all, but seems like a personal connection.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Other than for the crowd that thinks every local kid is a UConn lock was there ever any indication that we had any particular advantage over other programs with this kid? If there was I missed it.

Think we’ve been recruiting him longer than Bama and Cinci. The local advantage is obviously a real thing, and we watched most/all of his AAU games. I don’t think any (real) insider said he loved us more than anyone else, but I think we were right to be optimistic about our chances.

 

[TheHorde]

Think we’ve been recruiting him longer than Bama and Cinci. The local advantage is obviously a real thing, and we watched most/all of his AAU games. I don’t think any (real) insider said he loved us more than anyone else, but I think we were right to be optimistic about our chances.

He did have a fellow recruit comment on one of his social media posts where I believe he was either in UConn gear or posting about UConn saying something along the lines of “just commit there already”. And his mom has been mentioned in stories where I believe she indicated her preference would be to have him close to home. And UConn is famous for recruiting the moms.

 

[husky429]

He did have a fellow recruit comment on one of his social media posts where I believe he was either in UConn gear or posting about UConn saying something along the lines of “just commit there already”. And his mom has been mentioned in stories where I believe she indicated her preference would be to have him close to home. And UConn is famous for recruiting the moms.

And neither of those is Tyler actually expressing a preference.

 

[McLovin]

And UConn is famous for recruiting the moms.

But not as good as UMass though…

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Think we’ve been recruiting him longer than Bama and Cinci. The local advantage is obviously a real thing, and we watched most/all of his AAU games. I don’t think any (real) insider said he loved us more than anyone else, but I think we were right to be optimistic about our chances.

Again, based on what? That we were recruiting him longer than those schools and he's local? You keep saying it's "obviously a real thing" but it would seem like more of a "real thing" if there was a quote from the kid that, for example, staying close to home is important to him - the closest he's come is acknowledging that UConn is in Connecticut and that's where he's from.

None of that has anything to do with anything the kid has ever said.

 

[Deleted at users request]

All will be okay when we get Flagg (manifesting).

Knowing his family, I didn’t think he’d end up here from a gut feeling (not any real info). Would’ve been pleasantly surprised but we’ll be okay regardless.

 

[TyroneShoo]

You got the better of the guards to commit . I would not bother with Fland.

 

[TheHorde]

You got the better of the guards to commit . I would not bother with Fland.

I feel like we might be being used here to up NIL offers.

 

[Waquoit]

Again, based on what?

That guy who said, "Just commit already!"

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

That guy who said, "Just commit already!"

Pretty solid stuff.

 

[upstater]

Cincinnati at this point is an afterthought who hasn't advanced in the NCAAT in many many years.

1 Sweet Sixteen in the last 20 years.
The last time they made an Elite 8 was 1996.
Last Final 4 is 1992.

This is an eternity of nothing for Cincinnati.

Alabama with Oats has some appeal, but as the #1 team in the country, they were thoroughly depantsed by Hurley and UConn.

Going to Cincy is just going to bury you in terms of getting seen by eyeballs.

 

[Askgreek]

It just feels like this one isn’t likely to happen. No information, just gut. Not sure if it’s him, us or lack of chemistry/vision for his role.

 

[UCfor3]

If Karaban comes back, we will potentially have Alex, Stewart, Ross and Abraham all at forward. I absolutely LOVE shooters, so losing him will sting, but we still should be well stocked at forward. As far as "need" goes, securing a center and a couple guards are much more dire for next years roster.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I feel like we might be being used here to up NIL offers.

Or we are hanging in there with him as a buffer in case someone defects, or to drive up the NIL market kind of like when the Yankees or Red Sox show some interest in a free agent just to drive up the price on a player they don't super prioritize to eat up other teams' salary expenditures to hit the cap.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Again, based on what? That we were recruiting him longer than those schools and he's local? You keep saying it's "obviously a real thing" but it would seem like more of a "real thing" if there was a quote from the kid that, for example, staying close to home is important to him - the closest he's come is acknowledging that UConn is in Connecticut and that's where he's from.

None of that has anything to do with anything the kid has ever said.

Are you actually suggesting there’s no advantage to recruiting local recruits? I have to provide evidence that local schools usually do better with recruits in their area?

 

[TheHorde]

Are you actually suggesting there’s no advantage to recruiting local recruits? I have to provide evidence that local schools usually do better with recruits in their area?

No school is safe recruiting hometown kids with Providence on the prowl, just saying.

 

[navery12]

Are you actually suggesting there’s no advantage to recruiting local recruits? I have to provide evidence that local schools usually do better with recruits in their area?

No, you're entirely missing the point/his question. He's asking for evidence that Tyler Betsey specifically wanted to stay home and play for UConn over other schools. The vast majority of local recruits we have had an advantage with, but it's not 100%. There have been plenty of Tremont Waters who just had no interest

 

[Huskyforlife]

No, you're entirely missing the point/his question. He's asking for evidence that Tyler Betsey specifically wanted to stay home and play for UConn over other schools. The vast majority of local recruits we have had an advantage with, but it's not 100%. There have been plenty of Tremont Waters who just had no interest

I don’t have evidence of that. My point was we usually feel good about local recruits because they’re local, and in this case the staff went really hard on top of that.

If he was literally asking for a quote from Betsey that he knows doesn’t exist, whats the point? I thought the point of his original post was to ask why everyone was so confident he was coming here?

 

[Deleted at users request]

I don’t have evidence of that. My point was we usually feel good about local recruits because they’re local, and in this case the staff went really hard on top of that.

If he was literally asking for a quote from Betsey that he knows doesn’t exist, whats the point? I thought the point of his original post was to ask why everyone was so confident he was coming here?

I’d say more often than not we don’t get our local recruits.

I can’t 100% vouch for basketball on this. But football programs go out there way to build relationships on their home turf. I don’t think UConn does that. Most kids in CT do not think all that highly of UConn from what I remember. Heck, they don’t think highly of CT period. Lol

Who in state have we received commitments from? Clingan and Drummond (all time unique recruitment)?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Thirty five years ago this would have been a far bigger issue than it is today. The reason JC make such a huge deal about landing Chris Smith was that there was a stretch where John Pinone, Harold Pressley, Charles Smith and Harold Jensen (not including guys like Bagley, and a handful of others, who we barely attempted, or didn't even attempt to recruit) who didn't consider staying home. Landing Chris Smith was exceptionally important as it would be impossible to build a program if a top recruit, who also happened to be a local kid would not even consider you.

We are no longer just trying to build a program. The program has been built to a level very few have ever gotten to and we appear to be in position to kick it up to an even higher level. This kid is a local and by all accounts a high level talent. For those reasons alone I would love to have him but, as incredible as it sounds, we could love out on both this kid and the kid who is the focus of another pair of threads yet still bring in one of the better classes we've ever landed.

I have extreme confidence that our staff will put the effort they believe is necessary for for every kid they feel should be targeted and I have no delusions that we can land whoever we want. That doesn't mean we won't do exceptionally well in recruiting for the foreseeable future and in all candor, I don't see a situation where there will be a make or break recruit as long as the current head coach remains here.

 

[Waquoit]

(not including guys like Bagley, and a handful of others, who we barely attempted, or didn't even attempt to recruit) who didn't consider staying home.

The story I always heard is that Bagley wanted to come to you come but couldn't get admitted. Which is even more embarrassing.for UConn.

 

[mauconnfan]

I’d say more often than not we don’t get our local recruits.

I can’t 100% vouch for basketball on this. But football programs go out there way to build relationships on their home turf. I don’t think UConn does that. Most kids in CT do not think all that highly of UConn from what I remember. Heck, they don’t think highly of CT period. Lol

Who in state have we received commitments from? Clingan and Drummond (all time unique recruitment)?

Biggest problem is we haven’t had that many high level recruits over the last few years. Go back to the 60-70-80s there were some great ones who we never had a chance of keeping. Only Corny stayed then JC caught Smitty but there hasn’t been a ton of great state players overall.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Biggest problem is we haven’t had that many high level recruits over the last few years. Go back to the 60-70-80s there were some great ones who we never had a chance of keeping. Only Corny stayed then JC caught Smitty but there hasn’t been a ton of great state players overall.

I definitely agree. That’s kind of the dilemma for the staff there.

How many resources should they devote to locking down the state for the possible UConn level player every 2-3 years?