CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men’s basketball coach Scott Nagy announced that the program has officially signed 6-foot-9 transfer Tyler Bey – a former 4-star guard from Missouri State with three years of eligibility remaining – on Thursday afternoon.
Bey will join guards Drew Steffe, Damien Mayo Jr. Davion Sykes as well as forwards Jaheem Webber and Rolyns Aligbe in the recruiting cycle.
“We’re excited about Tyler due to his versatility,” Nagy said. “With him being 6-foot-9 and a wing player, he can guard a lot of positions and is a tremendous athlete on top of it.”
The Newark, New Jersey native saw action in 18 games for the Bears during his freshman campaign. He averaged 2.5 points and two rebounds per game while also recording seven blocks in limited minutes for Missouri State. His best game came on the road at Drake when he went for a career-high 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He also pulled down five rebounds and had a block, steal, and assist in the game.
Bey played his prep year in 2022-23 in Atlanta where he earned a four-star ranking from ESPN and three-star accreditation by Rivals, 247 Sports, and On3.com. ESPN also ranked him as one of the top 30 small forwards in the country in the class of 2023, while Rivals ranked him 138th overall in the 2023 senior class and 247 ranked him 153rd.
Was part of an Overtime Elite squad that won the Elite finals in 2022-23. His breakout game during his prep campaign came on January 7, 2023, when he erupted for 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight dunks in league play.
He spent the 2021-22 season at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles as part of a city championship team and Bey also played for the NY Rens and Oakland Soldiers on the summer circuit.