Top-10 basketball recruit Jalil Bethea commits to Miami

Miami head coach Jim Larranaga gestures in the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game against Houston in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

MIAMI – Top-10 senior Jalil Bethea committed to playing for the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday, becoming the program’s highest-ranked recruit in nearly 40 years.

According to ESPN, Bethea chose to play for Miami over Kansas and Villanova.

Recommended Videos



Bethea became the highest-ranked player (No.7) to commit to Miami since 1985 when McDonald’s All-American Tito Horford (No.13) also chose to play for the Hurricanes.

Bethea, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Pennsylvania, burst onto the scene at the Nike EYBL where he shot over 40% from three and 59% inside the arc.

Bethea is the third 2024 prospect to commit to Miami this month, following ESPN 100 guard Austin Swartz and three-star forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu.

The last five-star recruit to commit to Miami was Lonnie Walker (No. 13 in ESPN 100) in the class of 2017.

Both Bethea and Swartz were included in ESPN’s list of the best 3-point shooters in the class of 2024.

According to 247sports, Bethea averaged 18.7 points and 3.5 rebounds during the spring and summer at Archbishop Wood in Pennsylvania, leading the Philadelphia Catholic League in points scored (649) and 3-pointers (85) made as a junior. while shooting 60% from the floor.

Bethea will now play for Hurricanes Coach Jim Larranaga and a Miami team that made it to the Final Four in the 2022 NCAA College Basketball Tournament.


About the Author

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

Recommended Videos