Up Close With Freshman Guard Jalil Bethea: "I’m ready to go on a long run with these guys on this team"
The Miami Hurricanes basketball season tips off Nov. 4 against Fairleigh Dickenson, and the first conference game is Dec. 7 against Clemson. CaneSport will have you fully covered throughout the season as Miami looks to return to the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing 15-17 finish last year (6-14 in ACC play). It’s a totally revamped roster from that group, with Matthew Cleveland (13.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG) and Nijel Pack (13.3 PPG, 3.5 APG) the returning starters. Coach Jim Larranaga has added 10 new faces this year, including six transfers and four freshmen.
Miami was picked to finish sixth in the ACC preseason poll, trailing No. 1 Duke (956 points), North Carolina (924), Wake Forest (800), Clemson (765) and Virginia (743). The Canes are also among “others receiving votes” in the AP preseason poll, still ranking as the fourth-highest ACC team at No. 38. That’s behind Duke at No. 7, North Carolina No. 9 and in “others receiving votes” Wake Forest is 30th with Clemson 40th and Louisville 46th.
As we kick off your 2024-25 season coverage, today we have your CaneSport TV preseason update with 5-star freshman guard Jalil Bethea.
UP CLOSE WITH MATTHEW CLEVELAND … UP CLOSE WITH LYNN KIDD
Bethea arrives at Miami as one of the nation’s top talents out of Philadelphia Archbishop Wood, where he was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked the No. 6 player regardless of position in the Class of 2024 by On3. As a senior he averaged 22.7 points, six rebounds and five assists, and he averaged 23.2 points as a junior.
Bethea says in Year 1 at Miami that he’s “trying to find my purpose on the team” and “doing whatever it takes to make the team better.”
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He says the transition to college basketball has been smooth and that the bond among all the players is strong. With numerous older transfers on the roster plus veteran returners Cleveland and Pack, Bethea says he isn’t focused on the experience/age difference of players he’s working alongside or going up against. He’s used his teammates’ age gap to glean knowledge and says that he’s learned so much since arriving at UM he feels like he’s been here a couple of years already.
“I am just worrying about making myself better, making that big adjustment playing at the college level,” Bethea said. “I feel I’ve adjusted making my game simpler. (When I first) came here I was still in my high school ways, just trying to score and trying to do everything. But now that I know what I’m capable of doing it’s making my game a lot simpler.”
Bethea says in addition to his natural scoring ability he sees himself helping “passing, rebounding, being an athletic guard.” He blocks out his 5-star label and doesn’t worry about anyone’s opinion except his own. Most likely he’ll begin the year coming off the bench, and he’s fine with that.
“I’m more than ready (to contribute in any way needed),” he said. “I’m ready to go on along run with these guys on this team.”
