Jalil Bethea on Syracuse Visit: 'They Treated Me Like I'm One of Them'
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Syracuse basketball hosted 2024 shooting guard Jalil Bethea over the weekend for an official visit. Bethea plays his high school ball for Archbishop Wood and runs with Team Final during the AAU season.
"I would definitely say one of the best things I got to do on the trip was workout with the team," Bethea said. "Work out and watch them practice, then hung out with the coaching staff and some of the players. Just building a bond with the players and stuff. Getting used to the playing style and just having fun."
The Syracuse players helped the Orange with its pitch to the talented guard.
"They said if I come to Cuse, it would be the best fit and all that," Bethea said. "That it fits my description of play. Just how if I come here, I'll be loved just how I'm loved at home."
The Orange coaches also went into detail about how they would develop his game.
"Coach G-Mac and coach Boeheim, they're both very experienced coaches," Bethea said. "They were just telling me how if I came to Syracuse that they'll let me have freedom and all that. Since I'm able to shoot the ball, I can just shoot (green light)."
A big highlight of the visit was experiencing a game day atmosphere in the Dome.
"The atmosphere was great," Bethea said. "Seeing them (fans) in the Dome and all that, just imagine playing in the Dome with that support for basketball. It's real crazy."
Another highlight was going over to Jim Boeheim's home.
"It was great," Bethea said. "His house is humongous. They were all great. I met the coaches' family members and all that. Had a good time, played a couple games, shot on his court, ate, it was just good all around."
The visit left a lasting impression on the 6-4 sharpshooter.
"After the visit, Syracuse is definitely one of my top schools," Bethea said. "Most definitely. They treated me like I'm one of them. Like I'm already committed and all that. It was a great experience."
At this time, Bethea says he does not have any other visits scheduled nor a concrete decision timeframe.
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