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Jalil Bethea on Syracuse Visit: 'They Treated Me Like I'm One of Them'

The Orange hosted one of the top 2024 recruits over the weekend.

Mike McAllister

Jalil Bethea on Syracuse Visit: 'They Treated Me Like I'm One of Them'
Jalil Bethea on Syracuse Visit: 'They Treated Me Like I'm One of Them' /
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Syracuse basketball hosted 2024 shooting guard Jalil Bethea over the weekend for an official visit. Bethea plays his high school ball for Archbishop Wood and runs with Team Final during the AAU season. 

"I would definitely say one of the best things I got to do on the trip was workout with the team," Bethea said. "Work out and watch them practice, then hung out with the coaching staff and some of the players. Just building a bond with the players and stuff. Getting used to the playing style and just having fun." 

The Syracuse players helped the Orange with its pitch to the talented guard. 

"They said if I come to Cuse, it would be the best fit and all that," Bethea said. "That it fits my description of play. Just how if I come here, I'll be loved just how I'm loved at home." 

The Orange coaches also went into detail about how they would develop his game. 

"Coach G-Mac and coach Boeheim, they're both very experienced coaches," Bethea said. "They were just telling me how if I came to Syracuse that they'll let me have freedom and all that. Since I'm able to shoot the ball, I can just shoot (green light)." 

A big highlight of the visit was experiencing a game day atmosphere in the Dome. 

"The atmosphere was great," Bethea said. "Seeing them (fans) in the Dome and all that, just imagine playing in the Dome with that support for basketball. It's real crazy." 

Another highlight was going over to Jim Boeheim's home. 

"It was great," Bethea said. "His house is humongous. They were all great. I met the coaches' family members and all that. Had a good time, played a couple games, shot on his court, ate, it was just good all around." 

The visit left a lasting impression on the 6-4 sharpshooter. 

"After the visit, Syracuse is definitely one of my top schools," Bethea said. "Most definitely. They treated me like I'm one of them. Like I'm already committed and all that. It was a great experience." 

At this time, Bethea says he does not have any other visits scheduled nor a concrete decision timeframe. 

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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