University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
All in the Family For Betsy Blose
12.31.2008 | Women's Basketball
Bulldog Profiles: Betsy Blose and Grace Blaylock
By Joe George
UNC Asheville head coach Betsy Blose did not have to look far for one of her recent signings from the high school class of 2009.
Grace Blaylock, a 5-foot-7 guard from
As a young girl, Blaylock developed an interest in sports and gravitated toward her basketball coach aunt. The pair bonded over basketball and has maintained a close relationship over the years.
“Obviously, I've had a lot of contact with Grace as her aunt,” says Blose. “She has attended my camps and stayed with me ever since she was in elementary school. Every summer, she came to stay with her aunt and go to camp for free.”
Although Blose watched her niece progress as a player over the years, she didn't think about having Blaylock play at UNC Asheville until she was a junior in high school. She was somewhat unsure of what her staff would think about recruiting her niece, but after she received her assistants' approval she initiated the recruiting process.
“Before Grace's junior year, my staff and I started seeing more of her during the summer,” says Blose. “My assistant coach Adell Harris asked me why we weren't recruiting Grace. I realized I had my staff's blessing so we started seriously recruiting her.”
Blose initially did not think Blaylock wanted to attend UNC Asheville or even play college basketball. As a high achieving student, Blaylock was thinking of attending an Ivy League university to study pre-med. However, a visit to UNC Asheville gave her a firsthand look at the academic strengths of the school.
“She started to think that she wanted to play basketball at the next level,” says Blose. “She visited here, met with some of the faculty in the chemistry department, and loved this school academically. Then we started thinking ?why not come to UNC Asheville and play basketball?'”
Coaches usually do not have an established relationship with a player when they begin the recruiting process. As a result, they have to spend a lot of time evaluating and developing a connection with the player. Blose believes that her relation to Blaylock made recruiting her easier as she already knew what kind of player and person she is.
“I know what I'm getting,” explains Blose. “Why look any further? You're not allowed to get to know the kids like you want to during the recruiting process. I know she's a very goal orientated kid, she's a hard worker, and she's disciplined. Why go on the road to find another player when and I have her in my back pocket?”
Blaylock's biggest strength as a player is her three-point shooting. As a junior, she broke her high school's single season record for three-pointers made with more than 60. Blose will look for her to contribute scoring from behind the three-point arc next season, but she also realizes that Blaylock has a lot to learn about the college game.
“She can shoot the three really well,” says Blose. “Grace needs to work on some aspects of her game. She's a student of the game and very coachable.”
