Jalil Bethea Looks to Bring Elite Shooting and Perimeter Defense to Miami Hurricanes Basketball in 2024

The unanimous five-star guard in the 2024 high school class will be a dynamic piece for Miami basketball this year.

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Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 170 pounds, Jalil Bethea may not have the physical intimidation factor that some elite perimeter defenders have.

But don't get it twisted – the five-star off-guard committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes this season has no problem locking up players his size and bigger.

The crazy thing about Bethea is that his defense, for which he is partially known, is only half of the equation: he is an elite 3-point shooter, one of the best in his class with the possibility to be one of the best in the entire ACC as a true freshman.

Bethea ran the gamut of offers in college basketball, acquiring scholarships from schools like Kansas, Villanova, Alabama, Maryland, LSU, and St. John's, ultimately deciding, much like another famous player, to take his talents to South Beach (kind of) and play for the Hurricanes.

With a smaller frame and wiry build, Bethea will benefit from a collegiate weight regiment, as he needs to add weight and become a stouter player in order to prevent being bullied by bigger guards on the perimeter. Still, he moves so well laterally and covers a decent amount of ground despite not having huge strides or being super lengthy.

Playing in the ACC, he will be overshadowed by freshman Cooper Flagg, but still, he will be able to create his own spotlight as a light-it-up movement shooter who can pick up on the defensive end as well.

The primary issue with Bethea's game at this moment a lack of tape on his passing. He plays off-guard, so he won't technically be in charge of running the offense per se, but he will need to create shots for others, which is something he is not well known for at the moment.

Despite this, his talents are so obvious, and he has a legitimate chance to go in the top 10 of an extremely talented NBA Draft class in 2025.

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