Recruiting Impact: Jalil Bethea to Miami

Syracuse basketball missed out on one of its top targets in the 2024 recruiting class.

Mike McAllister | Sep 20, 2023

Recruiting Impact: Jalil Bethea to Miami /

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Elite five-star guard Jalil Bethea committed to Miami on Wednesday, picking the Hurricanes over Syracuse and several others. Certainly this is a blow as Syracuse has spent a long time recruiting Bethea and was expected to get an official this month that was cancelled after his trip to Miami. What does this mean for the Orange moving forward?

The first answer is what Syracuse will do in the 2024 cycle as a result. Most likely, Syracuse sticks with its two man class of Elijah Moore and Donnie Freeman. Unless someone emerges that is so talented Syracuse cannot pass, as was the case with Bethea, the Orange will stand pat. The good news is that Syracuse has guards on its roster, so it does not have to find another one this class.

The 2024-25 roster will feature JJ Starling, Chance Westry, Kyle Cuffe, Elijah Moore, Quadir Copeland and Justin Taylor. This is of course assuming Judah Mintz leaves for the NBA after this season. If someone else does the same, such as JJ Starling for example, or elects to transfer out, Syracuse has the portal as an option to replace any unexpected departures. Therefore, there is not a big need to find someone in 2024. This was used against Syracuse during the recruiting process by other schools.

The recruiting focus, therefore, will be on the 2025 cycle. Syracuse is already involved with several guards, including point guard Nigel James who took an official visit this past weekend. Syracuse has also offered guards Tyler Jackson, Demarco Johnson, Keyshaun Tillery, Kiyan Anthony, Jerry Easter, Darryn Peterson and Dorian Jones. Expect the Orange to focus there moving forward.

Published Sep 20, 2023

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.