Hanging on the wall of Kadyn Betts’ childhood bedroom is a San Diego State University jersey with the number four depicted on the back. 

The red jersey was the first thing Betts saw when he woke up and the last before going to sleep. It belongs to his father Kevin Betts, who played for the Aztecs. 

Today, the jersey is a motivation for Gophers forward Kadyn Betts, who changed his jersey number from 15 to four to match the number his father wore nearly 30 years ago. 

“That number four he wore in college, I always wanted to do the same thing,” Kadyn Betts said. “I always loved doing stuff with him.”

Growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, Kadyn Betts did not have many hometown heroes to look up to. Only 20 NBA players are from his home state and none came out of Pueblo. He spent several nights playing in the driveway alone. 

His mother, Brook Betts, had to force her son to come inside when it got too late. 

“He would always be out in the front yard shooting hoops and dribbling to the point where I would flicker the lights and that was his cue to come in,” Brook Betts said.

She said her son is the opposite of what many parents deal with when raising a kid. Kadyn Betts never took a day off from basketball, so his mother made him take days off every now and then.

Kadyn Betts decided to leave high school early and play for the Gophers the summer before his senior year of high school.

He already loved the state. The Betts family would travel to northern Minnesota over the summer to see more family. Once Kadyn Betts met the Gophers coaching staff, he knew maroon and gold was in his future.

“They’re a young staff,” Kadyn Betts said. “All big-picture guys who are focused on the end goal and care about your development.”

Kadyn Betts’ parents felt relief that he was heading to college early. They trusted Gophers assistant coach Marcus Jenkins and head coach Ben Johnson to take care of their son. 

Betts was 17 years old when he arrived on the University of Minnesota campus, and it was certain he would spend his first season as a redshirt. However, he never let it dissuade him. In fact, he saw it more as an “opportunity to redshirt” rather than “having to redshirt.”

During the 2022-23 season, Kadyn Betts worked out with a Division I basketball program while others his age were playing in their senior-year basketball seasons.

At that time, Kadyn Betts’ mindset around basketball shifted to a more professional mentality. He started eating healthier and sticking to routines. 

An average day for Kadyn Betts included waking up early to lift weights and going to practice twice a day with recovery in between before going to sleep at 10:30 p.m.

After a full year of learning from the sidelines, Betts came into his second season as a Gopher excited to get on the court. However, he averaged seven minutes across eight games.

Meanwhile, freshman Cam Christie, the team’s youngest player last season, averaged 30 minutes across 33 games.

Kadyn Betts was far from ecstatic to be sitting on the bench once again, but his coaches are not ones to worry about a single season. They reassured him his time would come. 

Kadyn Betts’ parents instilled loyalty and a hard work ethic into him at a young age. They always made sure that anything he started, he finished. 

Those values his parents imparted came to fruition during that tough time of not being on the court. When asked if transferring was ever an option during those first two years, Kadyn Betts was adamant that he would not leave. 

“It never even crossed my mind,” Betts said. “I love this University too much, I love the coaches too much. This is my home, truly, and I want to stay here no matter what.”

Betts kept his confidence high and it carried over to this summer. Johnson had high praise for the 6-foot-8-inch sophomore. 

“He’s really done a good job when we’ve gone live throughout the entire summer,” Johnson said. “Not just being a guy that can shoot threes, but can drive it, can make plays in transition, can defend multiple positions.” 

Kadyn Betts is heading into his third year on the team but still has three seasons of eligibility left. He is among the handful of Gopher players who stayed with the team after last season ended.

The self-proclaimed versatile player said he will do what is needed to win among the other four veteran Gophers.