Buffs' Bey Making Big Strides In Offseason
June 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — By all accounts, Colorado's Tyler Bey had a solid freshman season last year for Tad Boyle's Buffaloes.
But it may have been just the tip of the iceberg. If Bey continues to make the strides he has made thus far in the offseason, the CU forward could be a dominant Pac-12 force next season.
"In 25 years of Division I coaching, Tyler's one of the top five guys I've had in terms of having a great spring," Boyle said this week. "He's made unbelievable improvement. His jump shot, his activity level, he keeps getting stronger — everything. He's maturing physically, he's working in the weight room and just getting better at everything he does."
Bey was one of CU's more pleasant surprises last year, making the jump from a part-time starter in non-conference play to starting every Pac-12 game for CU.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pounder also improved his numbers in conference play. While he finished the season as CU's second-leading rebounder with 5.1 per game, he averaged 5.3 boards in Pac-12 games. He also shot a team-leading .543 from the field in conference play while averaging 7.0 points and had 18 of his 22 blocked shots against conference foes.
But he will be expected to do even more next year for a team that loses seniors George King (a second-round draft pick of the Phoenix Sun) and Dominique Collier.
"I have to expand my game," Bey said. "I need to shoot better, rebound better, play better defense — everything. I think we all know we have to get better."
Bey has added about eight pounds to his lean frame thus far this offseason, with the goal of adding another eight to 10 more. The added weight and strength, he believes, will help him become become more physical in the paint and withstand the rigors of a long college season.
"I noticed that my very first game last year that I was getting pushed around at little," he said. "I had to get that mentality of being tough and fighting through stuff, but I want to be able to take on bigger people. I want to get every rebound I can get, block shots, score — do all those things."
Bey isn't the only Buff who has added some significant muscle in the offseason. Virtually every player has made good strides in that department under the direction of strength and conditioning director Steve Engelhart.
"Steve's done a good job," Boyle said. "The returning guys have really made some strides."
Bey will be part of a young but talented group that could surprise some folks in the Pac-12. Other returning regular contributors include fellow sophomores McKinley Wright IV (a Pac-12 All-Freshman pick), D'Shawn Schwartz and Dallas Walton, juniors Lucas Siewert and Deleon Brown, senior Namon Wright, and four newcomers.
Meanwhile, freshman Evan Battey will be ready to make his debut. Battey sat out last year and now appears to have made a near complete recovery from a medical event that sidelined him for most of the spring.
One part of his game on which Bey has been working diligently is his 3-point shooting. He took just six shots from beyond the arc last season and missed all six.
But Boyle said that part of Bey's game is improving dramatically.
"We have a drill where there's one ball, one shooter and one rebounder," Boyle said. "You make as many 3s as you can in five minutes. When Tyler got here, he was in the 27 to 30 range. But in his first summer workout the other day, he hit 57, then hit 55 the next day. He's really become a guy who can be a threat out there."
With last year's 3-point leader, King, no longer in a CU uniform, it's a hole the Buffs will need to fill.
"I think that's part of my game I can improve," Bey said. "I want to be able to step out and shoot that 3 once in awhile."
While the returning players are reason for optimism, Bey said CU fans will also be excited when they see Battey for the first time.
"Evan is one of those guys who is always encouraging people, always talking," Bey said. "I think he could be a piece that we've been missing. Not only is he big and strong, he can do a lot of things. He He can step out to the 3, post up and run the floor. People don't know about him yet … but I can't wait to see Evan hit somebody."
But for the time being, Bey and his teammates are spending as much time as possible in the gym and in the weight room.
"I think we're all pretty anxious to get to the season," Bey said. "But what we have to do now is use all this time to keep getting better and working on our game. I think we're all getting to know each other really well, and we'll be ready when it's time to play."
BATTEY TO PLAY WITH COLLEGE SQUAD IN ITALY: Battey, who has not played in a true game for two years, will finally get that chance this summer when he joins a team of college players for a four-game trip in Italy.
Battey will play for the "USA East Coast" team in early August, headed by coaching legend Larry Brown. The team will play four games in Italy against squads from Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands.
Battey did not play his senior year in high school, then redshirted his first year in Boulder.
"It will be good for him," said Boyle, who played college ball for Brown at Kansas. "He hasn't played a game in two years and I know he will be looking forward to getting out there and playing an actual game."
The tentative roster also includes Jimmy Whitt (SMU), Ronald Jefferson (Lycoming), Maishe Dailey (Iowa), Sasha Stefanovich (Purdue), Connor McCaffery (Iowa), Jermain Samuels (Villanova), Kyrin Galloway (UNC-Greensboro), Jalone Friday (Abilene Christian), Dylan Painter (Villanova), and James Dickey (UNC-Greensboro).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
