If you regularly follow BYU basketball, chances are you’ve probably heard some Tyler Betsey buzz by now.
The public has yet to see the new-look Cougars on the court this year, but word out of the Marriott Center Annex is that the sharpshooting forward from Syracuse has made quite an impression since landing in Provo.
Even one of the sport’s most prominent media voices is singing Betsey’s praises.
“Well-embedded moles in Provo have sent word that Syracuse transfer Tyler Betsey has stood out early with his shot making ability,” CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein wrote in a post to X on Oct. 3.
“(Betsey) could be lethal as a stretch 4 for BYU. The unsung member of the Cougars’ deep assortment of newcomers.”
Well embedded moles in Provo have sent word that Syracuse transfer Tyler Betsey has stood out early with his shot making ability.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 3, 2026
Could be lethal as a stretch 4 for BYU.
The unsung member of the Cougars' deep assortment of newcomers.
While his own outside attention and hype has been nice, Betsey’s true excitement for the upcoming campaign comes from everyone around him — especially the guy who will be passing to him.
“Just the way we fit as a team, like with Rob Wright as a point guard, I think he’s going to be the best point guard in the country, like (Kevin Young) has said before,” Betsey said after BYU’s Marriott Madness pep rally on Oct. 6.
“He’s definitely one of the best players I’ve ever played with, just the way he sets the table for us. I think it all starts with him, and it just goes down the line. We’re all unselfish. We have people that can shoot, all the pieces just fit.”
After Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry was relieved of his duties in March, Betsey entered the transfer portal for the second time in two years, having previously spent his freshman season in the Big 12 at Cincinnati.
When BYU entered the recruiting picture, Betsey was immediately interested, ultimately joining Collin Chandler as the Cougars’ first portal additions of the offseason.
“Just (Young) as a coach, and what he’s been able to do since he got here,” Betsey said of what drew him to BYU. “I mean, his first year, he made it to the tournament, the Sweet 16. He has (coached) NBA players, and that’s what I want to be one day. So definitely him, and just the team that we have, the way I fit, the way that we play, I just think it all makes sense.”
A year ago, Betsey was among the best 3-point shooters in the ACC, netting 44% of his triples in conference play.
His sweet-shooting effort was an outlier at Syracuse, however, as the rest of his teammates shot a collective 31% from behind the arc.
It’s now a “different dynamic” for Betsey at BYU, where he’s surrounded by proven and prolific shooting talent such as Wright, Chandler, Jaxon Kohler and others who should bring “3-Y-U” back in full force.
“We have a lot of shooters, a lot of guys shooting 40%, so the ball really pops when we play, man,” Betsey said. “I think people will see that the ball really pops. I really haven’t been a part of something like that before, so it’s a little different. But the ball is popping, guys are shooting open shots and making open shots, so it’s definitely good.”
More often than not, the Cougars will likely have five 3-point threats on the court at the same time this season. The opportunities for elite spacing are seemingly endless, especially considering what Betsey claims to be a lack of selfishness within the roster, which he believes will manifest itself in earning better shots for each other and working together on the defensive end.
“We’ve got a lot of unselfish guys, and you can just see that when we play,” Betsey said. “Just making the (extra) pass, I’d say that’s kind of an underrated thing in the game of basketball, just making one more pass, the defense thinking they have a closeout, and you just make that one more (pass), it just messes up the defense again that much.
“... We’re connected, we all like each other in the locker room. When I step on the court, I know I don’t want to let Bruce (Branch III) down. I don’t want to let Rob down. I don’t want to let the coaches down, because I’m really close to them. They believe in me, I believe in them.”
