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Palestra's allure guides Ryan Betley to Penn

07/14/2015, 7:00pm EDT

By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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When he was just six years old, Ryan Betley made a basketball memory that would impact his future.

The Downingtown West rising senior saw LeBron James play at the Palestra, back when basketball's biggest current superstar was in his final year of high school ball.

"My dad took me and my brother, we had one seat and he sat us both on his lap, and we watched LeBron James play," he said. "Ever since then, the Palestra's been a special place."

The memory of that game stuck with Betley his whole life, and when Penn head coach Steve Donahue offered him a roster opportunity--Ivy League schools can not offer athletic scholarships--in May, the Quakers became the school to beat for his recruitment.

And on Tuesday, he made it official: he would be going to the venerable West Philadelphia institution in the fall of 2016.

"I've liked Penn for a long time," the 6-foot-5 shooting guard told CoBL on Tuesday night after he made his announcement public on Twitter. "Ever since they offered, that's been the school I thought I was going to eventually end up at."

Betley is Penn's second commitment in the class of 2016. Northfield Mt. Hermon (Mass.) power forward A.J. Brodeur became the first commitment for new head coach Steve Donahue when he chose the Quakers over several high-major offers and a few other Ivy League schools last week.

At the time of his commitment, Betley had four offers: Penn and Brown in the Ivy League, and Lafayette and Holy Cross in the Patriot League.

And though he still had two July live periods to play in front of Division I coaches, he knew it was time to make his decision.

"I didn't choose Penn because I thought it was safe because they'd already offered; Penn was my number one and I wanted to see if anyone could offer anything else that could intrigue me," he said. "And nothing beat it."

Donahue, who was hired in April to replace Jerome Allen--removed after nearly six years where he couldn't get the program headed in the right direction--made Betley an early priority, making the Downingtown (Pa.) native his first recruiting call after getting the job.

And now he's got another very good young piece to add to a well-regarding incoming freshman class and a talented group of rising sophomores.

"I just think his vision for Penn and how he wants to play offense, how he wants to use me in their system, it's just the best choice for me," Betley said. "I think that's why I liked him so much, because he had a great vision for Penn and what we're going to do in the future."

A sharpshooter who made more than 47 percent of his 3-point attempts on the adidas Gauntlet series this spring with Team Philly, Betley can do much more than just spot up from beyond the arc.

He's got a well-developed post game when matched up with smaller guards, and isn't afraid to attack the basket and get to the foul line when he has an opponent.

Last year, as a junior at Downingtown West, he helped the Whippets to a 24-6 record and berth in the PIAA Class AAAA tournament. Downingtown West will likely be the favorites in the Ches-Mont again this year behind Betley and fellow seniors Josh Warren and Dom Guerrera, all of whom will be three-year starters.

"He absolutely makes other people around him better, he can create for others and create for himself," Downingtown West coach Jason Ritter said. "Which is rare for a high school program, to have that type of kid.

"For me, seeing Ryan in middle school, and seeing him now, it's such a joy that all of this hard work has paid off," Ritter added. "It just shows other kids in my program that if you work hard and get in the gym and study a lot, Penn is within reach, and schools like Penn."