Top-10 senior Bethea commits to play for Miami

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

Bethea chose Jim Larranaga and the Hurricanes over Kansas and Villanova. He visited the Coral Gables campus earlier this month and came away impressed.

“They showed me a lot on my visit,” Bethea told ESPN. “They told me how they will help my game grow. They showed me analytics about my PPP [points per possession] and that it was high. I liked that. They plan for me to play more in pick-and-roll.”

Bethea developed a strong relationship with Larranaga, and his prior connections to assistant coach DJ Irving also played a role in his recruitment.

“I trust the staff. I know assistant coach DJ Irving well. He was with Team Final,” he said. “One time Coach L came to one of my games when he did not feel well. He did not have to do that. It meant a lot. They have had a lot of guards that have done well at Miami and after.”

A 6-foot-4 guard from Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania, Bethea is ranked No. 7 in the ESPN 100 for the class of 2024. He shot up the rankings late in his high school career, establishing himself as one of the elite backcourt players in the country over a productive summer on the Nike EYBL circuit. Bethea averaged 18.7 points and 3.5 rebounds during the spring and summer, shooting 60% from inside the arc, 41.2% from 3-point range and 85.7% from the free throw line.

Bethea has developed his ability to score from different spots, adding an effective off-the-dribble game to his consistent perimeter shooting. He’s one of the more efficient scorers in the 2024 class.

“Jalil is a three-level scorer that just keeps working and getting better every year,” Archbishop Wood coach John Mosco said. “He is unique where he didn’t play as a freshman and came off the bench as a sophomore, but when he got his opportunity, he has run with it all the way to the top of his class.”

Bethea becomes the highest-ranked Miami recruit since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007 and the program’s highest-ranked recruit since at least 1985, when McDonald’s All American Tito Horford picked the Hurricanes. The last five-star to commit to Miami was Lonnie Walker (No. 13 in ESPN 100) in the class of 2017.

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