Jalil Bethea: Three thoughts on Miami's latest commitment

Jim Larranaga has landed his third commitment of the month as Five-Star Plus+ shooting guard Jalil Bethea committed to the Miami Hurricanes today. Bethea, the No. 11 player in the 2024 On3 150, joins four-star shooting guard Austin Swartz and On3 four-star small forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu in this class.

Miami is coming off back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight, making a run last season to the Final Four behind ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong and first-team All-ACC member Jordan Miller. Both players were selected in the second-round of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Let’s go through what Miami is getting in their latest commitment.

Who is Jalil Bethea

Jalil Bethea is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing and the No. 2 ranked shooting guard in the 2024 On3 Industy Ranking. Bethea chose the Hurricanes over a final group that also included Villanova and Kansas.

The Five-Star Plus+ wing plays his high school ball at Philadelphia (PA) Archbishop Wood. He averaged 23.2 points during his junior season earning Philadelphia Catholic League Player Most Valuable Player honors.

This summer, Bethea averaged 18.5 points and shot 40.2 percent from three on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. He helped lead his Team Final team to an EYBL regular season No. 1 ranking and to the Final Four of Peach Jam.

“I’m able to impact a game in other ways, even when I’m not scoring,” Bethea told On3. “I can get my teammates involved and get the ball back on defense. I’ve been working a lot, and that has really built my confidence, and it has translated to the game, and I can shoot and make those types of shots. I’ve been watching Steph Curry for a long time, some Devin Booker and Jordan Poole more recently.”

What does he bring to Miami

Jalil Bethea brings scoring to the Hurricanes. That is his game, that is his super power, and that is what had jump jump to No. 11 in the 2024 On3 150. Bethea scores the ball in an efficient manner. He is able to get to his spots off two and three dribbles and rise up with great balance and a consistent release, squared to the rim to knock down shots.

Bethea has good length with a plus-wingspan and his 6-foot-4 frame gives him good positional size. He is a fluid athlete and is able to show off some burst when he gets out in transition, and gets on the rim. He will need to continue adding weight, this will help him with contact and physicality that comes with being a scorer in the ACC, but he should be able to add good weight to his frame.

Bethea shot 40.8 percent from three on 6.6 attempts per game during EYBL play. He added 85.3 percent from the free throw line and 49.7 percent from the field. Bethea was the featured scorer for the one-loss, No. 1 ranked Team Final team. The efficiency in which he scored this summer translates as he continues to move up levels of play. Defensively, he is going to have to continue to give consistent effort on that end. He has the length and the athleticism to, at least, be solid on that end. Bethea plays with confidence and he has an even-keeled demeanor that does not change on the court.

How does Bethea fit into the lineup?

Looking at the teams Jim Larranaga has had the most success with, he has had shooting and four players on the floor who can create offense. Looking at the archetype Isaiah Wong, Lonnie Walker, Davon Reed, and Bruce Brown set, Bethea fits a similar mold.

Bethea is the second shooting guard Miami is taking in this class, joining four-star Austin Swartz. These two come in the year after Miami’s 2023 three-man class, wing Kyshawn George, wing Paul Djobet, and center Mike Nwoko. Larranaga’s system likes versatile players who can create offense and he is loading up on those type players from the high school ranks. He has shown that he wants to stack classes of guards and wings who fit.

Bethea looks to be a seamless fit stylistically, as his talent is something the staff will look to build around.

Bethea talks Miami

“Coach L (Jim Larranaga) and Coach DJ (Irving) are both great people. They text me almost every day they can. They’ll get with me after most of my games and just check on me, you know. Since Coach DJ is from Philly and played in the Catholic League, and he coached at Team Final, we built our relationship around that. And we just kept growing.”

“Miami has a great environment. Great coaches and great players. The style of play fits me, and coach DJ (Irving) was my top recruiter there. He’s been there from the start. From Team Final days and all that.”