Cavaliers Now

UVA Football Kicker Commit’s Connection with Ray Allen

Will Bettridge had a number of friends and family with him as he signed with Virginia on national signing day, including an NBA Hall of Famer

Matt Newton

UVA Football Kicker Commit’s Connection with Ray Allen
UVA Football Kicker Commit’s Connection with Ray Allen /

On Tuesday night, Ray Allen was in attendance at Madison Square Garden to see Stephen Curry break the NBA all-time record for career three-pointers, a record which Allen had held since February 10th, 2011.

Curry made his 2,974th career three-pointer against the Knicks in just his 789th career game, more than 500 fewer games than it took Ray Allen to set the previous record. Allen was courtside and personally congratulated Curry after breaking the record.

After the game, Allen boarded a plane and flew back home to Miami, Florida in time for a National Signing Day ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at Gulliver Preparatory School, where Allen serves as the school’s director of boys’ and girls’ basketball and is the head coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team.

Will Bettridge played for the Gulliver boys’ basketball team last season, but he is much better at kicking footballs than shooting basketballs. Bettridge, rated a five-star kicker by Kohl’s Kickers and ranked the No. 6 kicker in the country, signed his letter of intent to play college football at the University of Virginia on Wednesday.

Friends and family were on hand to celebrate Bettridge as he officially signed with UVA. As was Hall of Fame basketball player Ray Allen, who posed for a photo with Bettridge after he signed his letter of intent.

Will Bettridge and Ray Allen
Will Bettridge and Ray Allen

Bettridge chose Virginia over offers from LSU, Michigan, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, and several other schools. Even more importantly, Bettridge honored his commitment to UVA even as the Virginia football program underwent a major coaching change, with Bronco Mendenhall stepping down and Tony Elliott being hired as the new UVA football head coach last Friday.

"I think he [Tony Elliott] has a great vision for UVA," Bettridge told Wahoos247 on Monday. "Talking to him on the Zoom and we had a one-on-one call, and he talked really highly of his goals for the program. He said he’s a head coach that will be very close to special teams which I love.”

Bettridge was one of ten future Cavaliers to sign with Virginia on the early National Signing Day on Wednesday, but he was the only one to have Ray Allen there to personally congratulate him. 

Read more from Cavaliers Now

Early Signing Day: Tony Elliott and Bronco Mendenhall Address UVA Football’s Early Signees

National Signing Day: Virginia Football Early Signees

Clemson’s Adam Smotherman Joins Tony Elliott’s Staff at Virginia

Chris Long: “Carla Knocked It Out of the Park” with Tony Elliott Hiring

Jelani Woods Declares for NFL Draft

Tony Elliott Wants Virginia Football to be the “Model Program in College Football”

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

Home/Football