Recruiting Report: James Betz (2019)
There’s not a lot of guys around who have a combination of sheer size and explosive athleticism — but rising junior James Betz is one of those guys.
A 6-foot-6 forward from Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Betz — Iowa’s 6th-ranked 2019 — is a versatile stretch-four with very long arms, above the rim potential, and an ability to knock-down the 3-ball.
Naturally, the rising junior who committed to Northern Iowa just earlier today, wants to be just like former Panthers standout, Seth Tuttle, when he gets to Cedar Falls.
“My goal is to be like Seth Tuttle, and I talked to him about that,” said Betz in a recent phone interview.
“I actually met him at their elite camp on Saturday. So I haven’t known him too long, but that’s my goal is play like him.”
Tuttle was a 6-foot-8 stretch-four, a position that Northern Iowa specializes in recruiting and developing, and Betz remembers watching the West Fork product play back in the earlier half of this decade.
“When I was younger, my dad would always talk to me about how every time he (Tuttle) posted up, he would always re-post up when he threw the ball back out, so that was something I liked,” said Betz. “And then his communication skills, it just amazed me how a guy in the middle could control the game like he did.”
As a freshman at G-H-V, Betz was already showcasing his ability to flourish as a stretch-four, when he connected on 20 of his 44 3-point attempts — good enough for 46 percent.
That’s what UNI liked about the bouncy big, and Betz — who says he always wanted to be a Panther — will relish the opportunity to play at a school that values versatile bigs.
“They said that they really believed I’d be able to be a really good stretch-four; that I’d be able to come out and hit the 3,” said Betz.
“Just seeing what that stretch-four can do at UNI was a big thing too. Just seeing what I could do there is something I liked.”
According to Betz, it was other intangibles that the Panthers took into consideration when recruiting him, like his high-motor, and willingness to sacrifice for the team.
“I just think it was going hard, really, that they liked when they saw me, and trying to be the best teammate. I was just trying to be a really good teammate (this spring), and I think that showed,” said Betz.
“Coaches want people who can be a good teammate, not people who are all about themselves, and I try not to be like that. Just going my hardest and being a good teammate were my top two things this offseason. I didn’t really care about scoring or anything like that. Another thing they liked is that I do whatever coaches ask me to do.”
It wasn’t too long ago that the Panthers offered Betz, May 1st to be exact. And there was still plenty of time left for him to bolster his recruitment. He had already picked up Drake and North Dakota offers in addition to UNI — but he always wanted to be a Panther.
“Growing up, I always wanted to play at UNI — so that was a big thing for me. And I felt like it was a good fit for me, where I could grow as a person, and not just as a player,” said Betz.
“UNI was always the place I wanted to play. If I always wanted to play at UNI, and I had the opportunity, why not take it.”
What did Betz especially like about the UNI program? Well, everything.
“It’s what I wanted to do, I could see myself playing there; I love the coaches, I love the atmosphere, and I love the culture that Coach (Ben) Jacobson has set up there. I really felt like I could become a great basketball player there.”