Miami Hurricanes Men's Basketball Player Preview: Jalil Bethea
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Five-star guard Jalil Bethea, the highest recruit in program history, will take center stage for the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team.
Bethea is a 6-foot-4-inches, 170-pound prospect from Archbishop Wood with the rare ability to score at will from anywhere on the court. His specialty is his three-point shooting but his electric athleticism draws extra attention to him.
Let's not forget that with his finishing ability comes his great leaping ability. He was the McDonald All-American Slam Dunk Champion this past year. He will be flying around the court all season delivering highlight after highlight.
He put up incredibly efficient numbers in the EYBL, knocking down 41 percent of his threes and 86 percent of his free throws. This also comes with an outstanding ability to finish inside the perimeter shooting 59 percent in EYBL.
Another thing that stands out is his court vision and ability to make difficult passes. While Beatha is a scoring guard and one of the best in the country at it, he has the tangibles of a passing guard which will always be beneficial with how talented the ACC is with the depth in guards.
One of the struggles the Hurricanes had last season was consistent scoring from the guard position and playmakers. Beatha could be the explosive scoring power that the team lacked from the previous year while also developing his skills as a guard.
Head coach Jim Larranga has developed great defensive guards over the past few years. Mixing his defensive intangibles with Bethea's ability to score could put his name closer and closer to the top 10 of the 2025 NBA Draft Class.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.