Playing his first full year on varsity, and already hearing from Xavier on the recruiting trail, the 6-foot-7, 185-pound Setty didn’t realize the amount of effort needed to play on the varsity level at Kentucky state power Mason County High (Maysville, Ky.).
Heading into the month of January, Setty was averaging a modest nine points and five rebounds per game, but he wasn’t playing to his full potential, and frustration started to settle in from everywhere.
Setty’s parents sat their son down, and they got to the root of the problem.
“A the beginning of the year, I wasn’t as focused as I could’ve been,” Setty said. He is from the same high school that produced guys like graduated Tennessee standout Chris Lofton, and current Kentucky sophomore and former Mr. Basketball Darius Miller. “Xavier was watching me, and I kind of had a big head. This was my first time playing varsity a lot, and I thought I was a big shot, and it finally clicked that I have to play harder. I had a conversation with my dad and my mom, and they said you have the ability, you just have to go out there and use it.”
Setty did just that.
From January on, he averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per contest, helping lead Mason County to the Sweet-16 round of the Kentucky state playoffs.
“I turned it on, I don’t know,” Setty explained. “I was cutting more and going for rebounds, and playing harder, and the rest of it came.”
This summer, Setty has carried over his hungry attitude to the AAU circuit, and Xavier now has a lot of company in recruiting the budding star.
Kentucky, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Notre Dame are just a few of the programs that are starting to get in contact.
At a recent tournament in Las Vegas, Setty noticed Mike Brey inside the gym, but he wasn’t sure if the Irish coach was watching him.
“I was playing pretty good that week, and one of the kids on my team was saying that he overheard that Notre Dame was on me.
“I was excited because I’m just now starting to get out there. Xavier’s been on me since the beginning of my sophomore year, but this summer is the first time I’ve been getting looks from the big schools. Anytime a big school from a big conference like Notre Dame is on you, it makes you want to work that much harder.”
With the interest Setty is going to get, he’s going to have to put a lot of time in the gym.
Setty then found out Notre Dame had been in touch with his AAU coach, and this past week, he found himself on the phone with Irish assistant coach Anthony Solomon.
“He just talked to me about how he liked the way I play, and that I’m the perfect fit for them,” Setty began. “He said even if I don’t score a lot during the game, I’m a threat if I want to be, and he can tell I work hard, and he really likes my game, and they’re going to be on me pretty hard. They like my versatility more than anything.”
Setty said he can’t wait to talk with Brey next week, and is also looking to visit Notre Dame for the first time in September.
“I watched them a whole lot last year, with (Luke) Harangody and (Kyle) McAlarney and that bunch, and I like how they get up the floor and shoot perimeter shots. I think from my standpoint, I think I fit in perfectly.”
Setty and his family are heading into the recruiting process with the mindset to take everything slow and see what comes to them. They have yet to map out a timetable for a decision, or all the things they’re going to be looking for in a school. They do know that day is coming soon, but Setty already has a couple things in mind that he wants.
“I’d love to have something close,” he said. “A Big East school would be good because I want my family and friends to watch me play. As long as I can be somewhere close, that’d be good. Not real close, just within a four or five-hour drive.”
As Setty’s junior season fast approaches, he knows the opposition will have him as a marked man, and there will be no room or time to not play hard.
“I guess that’s the price you pay, but it’s all worth it.”
