Top 15 Jalil Bethea discusses recruitment, talks Kansas, Syracuse, Miami, Kentucky, etc.

Jalil Bethea jumped to No. 14 in the recent 2024 On3 150 update. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard led the Nike EYBL Circuit’s No. 1 ranked Team Final in scoring at 18.6 points, shooting 42.6 percent from three this summer.

Bethea averaged 23.2 points for Archbishop Wood this high school season en route to Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ All-State 6A team. On3 is higher than the industry on the four-star who is ranked No. 39 in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, an equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media services.

“I’m just a basketball player. I can do anything the coach needs to help the team win, Bethea told On3. “I play defense, I shoot it really well. I’ll get my teammates involved and can handle it. I impact the game however my team needs me to.”

On3 caught up with Jalil Bethea after a recent live viewing to talk about his recruitment.

“I’ve taken two official visits so far, one to Syracuse and then Temple,” Bethea said.

Bethea talks visits

“I have a great relationship with the staff at Syracuse,” Bethea said. “Even though Boeheim left, that doesn’t matter because Gerry McNamara and Coach (Adrian) Autry are both there. They both hit me up and call me almost every day. They care about me a lot, and they let it be known they want me to go there, and I am a top priority for them.”

“My visit to Temple was with the old staff,” Bethea added.

Bethea talks recruitment

“I plan on taking officials to Kansas and Miami towards the end of Peach Jam,” Bethea said. “I don’t have dates for those two yet, though.”

Miami: “They are just dogs. They work hard, they play hard, and they are just a good team overall. They have made it to back-to-back Elite Eights in the tournament, and they win.”

Kansas: “The players that have come out of Kansas stand out. They produce guards who are pros. They have a great environment, and I want to go see more.”

“Kentucky calls and texts me too; they haven’t offered yet,” Bethea said. “That offer would be a big deal. As a little kid, I watched them a lot growing up. You look at the good players, the good guards in the NBA, a lot of them came from Kentucky. They play up and down and get after it. I think I fit how they play.”

In his words

“Honestly, I don’t have anything set yet for a commitment date,” Bethea said. “Right now, I am looking at September, but things could change. I’ll know when it feels right.

“I’m going to be looking at which program cares the most and where I am most wanted. Where I can comfortably call a place ‘home.’ I’ll want to play for a school that uses their guards how I like to play, coming off screens, getting up and down, playing in transition, and putting a focus on defense.”