April 10, 2009
EASTON, Pa. - Former Lafayette men's basketball captain Matt Betley '08 was recently awarded the Basketball Ireland Award as the top scorer in the Irish Superleague.
Betley won the award just one year removed from his senior year at Lafayette, where he became the second men's basketball player in school history to be honored as the Patriot League Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is now a captain for Ulster Elks Basketball and scored an average of 25.2 points per game in Ireland's premier basketball division this year.
During his short stint overseas, Betley has already been named Superleague Player of the Month and also picked up a Most Valuable Player award and an All-Star award when he guided his team to the Irish Intervarsity title.
He ranks as one of the league's top players, hovering near the top for made free throws, steals and assists.
"This is an incredible achievement for Matt," his coach, Dr. Deirdre Brennan, said. "Being able to consistently score in the mid twenties is exceptionally difficult particularly as a season progresses. His offensive versatility allowed him to continue to dominate the league in scoring despite the defensive strategies employed by other teams."
Betley averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Leopards in 2007-08 while carrying a 3.45 grade-point average (GPA) as an Economics and Business major.
The forward was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II Men's Basketball First Team, one of just two Patriot League student-athletes to earn the honor in 2008.
Betley led the team in rebounds in his junior and senior seasons and scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 career contests. He finished 17th in career rebounding on the school's record list with 555 and finished his career with 946 points.
