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What could be the best men’s basketball signing class in the Tad Boyle era at the University of Colorado was made official Wednesday as Evan Battey, Tyler Beyand D’Shawn Schwartz inked their National Letters of Intent to join the Buffaloes for the 2017-18 season.
On paper this class is right up there. Rivals.com rates Colorado’s class the 16th best in the nation while Scout.com has the Buffaloes at 18th. Scout considers all three signees four-star recruits. Schwartz and Bey are also four-star players according to Rivals.
But put stars and rankings to the side, Boyle sees an incredible upside and potential to this class.
“I’ve never been a coach that’s into the star system in recruiting, so the number of stars next to a kid’s name is inconsequential to me,” Boyle said. “It’s not the biggest class we’ve signed while we’ve been here at Colorado, but in my opinion best, and I say that because all three of these young men have the opportunity to be 1,000 point scorers, maybe more. I really think they all can have great careers here; play early and be impact players immediately.”
Highly regarded as the top player in Colorado, Schwartz is a 6-6, 210-pound wing from Colorado Springs. He averaged 19.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a junior at Sand Creek High School, earning Class 4A All-State Second Team honors. Schwartz is a two-time All-Pikes Peak Athletic Conference First Team pick and back-to-back runner-up for that league’s Player of the Year honor.
“He’s a guy we’ve been recruiting for a long time,” Boyle said. “Comes from a great family, great mom and dad, and has a great support system in Colorado Springs. He’s had a lot of success with USA Basketball. He’s a guy that’s physically ready to step in and play.”
Boyle’s staff had an advantage by identifying Schwartz early and staying with him through the process. Schwartz’s stock rose significantly after notable stints in the USA Basketball program. He was one of 18 finalists for the 2016 USA Basketball Men’s U17 World Championship team and was a runner-up in USA Basketball’s 2016 Men’s 3×3 U18 National Tournament.
“Early on a couple small schools were recruiting me and Colorado showed some interest, but as time went on and I kept getting better and stronger they started to show a lot more interest. They offered to me before USA Basketball camp and since then it’s been a great relationship with coach Tad and everyone else on the staff.”
Bey, a 6-7, 205-pound small forward, is a Las Vegas native attending Middlebrooks Academy in Los Angeles. He’s rated as the 27th best small forward in the nation by Scout and third in the state of California. Rivals rates him in their Top 150 as the 114th best overall player.
“Tyler is a guy with his athleticism, his size and length can play multiple positions,” Boyle said. “He’s the prototypical big wing that we have singed in the past. He can shoot the 3-pointer, very athletic, a terrific rebounder that can affect the game in a lot of ways.”
Bey prepares for his final year at Middlebrooks Academy while also competing for his AAU team the Las Vegas Knicks. He finished the summer circuit by averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds at the Adidas Championship. But most importantly, he had a short phrase that succinctly sums up what he will bring to Colorado.
“My motor,” he said.
Boyle agreed “A big time motor. He plays hard. I think he has as good an upside as any player we’ve signed.”
“Playing for Middlebrooks and the Las Vegas Knicks put me on a stage that I could perform,” Bey continued. “Colorado and coach Tad were there telling me how much they loved me and they thought I was special. I felt accepted.”
Battey, a 6-8, 275-pound forward, hails from the Los Angeles area and was an All-Orange County and All-Crestview League selection for Villa Park High School in 2015-16. He averaged 24 points a game for the Spartans and rated as the third best post player in the state of California. ESPN ranks him as California’s ninth-best overall prospect.
“What makes Evan special in my mind is he has a big personality and infectious passion for the game,” Boyle said. “He’s unique in that he can really score on the block, but he can also shoot the 3-pointer. He demands double-teams down low, because if you don’t, he’s going to punish you. He’s a great passer out of the post and will be a good screener with his size. He’s going to be a terrific leader for our program.”
Battey averaged 15.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks with his Dream Vision club team at the Las Vegas Adidas Summer Championship. He also has a 44-point game with Villa Park on his resume.
Boyle notes Battey as a player that fans “are going to want to come to Coors to watch him play.” He’s an engaging, outgoing individual who warmed to Boulder quickly as well.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Battey on visiting Boulder for the first time. “We got there at night so you couldn’t really see anything, but when I woke up the next morning and looked out my hotel room I was like ‘Wow! This place is beautiful.’ From there I just fell in love with it.
“I love the area, love the school,” Battey said. “It was a really good family feel. I felt very comfortable being there.”
Bey and Battey had played one year of club basketball together before, but the trio started to really gel on a common visit to Boulder in early September. It’s not often schedules line up to get everyone together on the same weekend, but in this case it made the visit extra special.
“We got to scrimmage and play with each other,” Bey said. “I liked how we played together, the chemistry we had, it will be great.”
Battey, quick to note he dunked on current Colorado forward Wesley Gordon while playing pickup said, “We were on the same team and saw that we can play together; we were killing it!”
It was also an opportunity for the families of the trio to get to know one another, the team and coaching staff. All three lauded the family atmosphere of Boyle’s staff.
“Our players did a great job that weekend, it was the weekend of the Idaho State football game (Sept. 10), the weather as perfect and Boulder was buzzing. These kids got a great feel, not only for our program, but for Boulder and the University of Colorado.
“Things fell into place and we got all three of them. That family atmosphere that we talk about, is hopefully there on a day-to-day basis and not just on a recruiting weekend. This program is based on family values and a family atmosphere.”
