Jalil Bethea

Jalil Ali Bethea (born December 20, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Pittsburgh Panthers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Early life and high school career Bethea grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster Township, Pennsylvania. He averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game and was named the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP as a junior. Bethea posted 22.7 points, seven rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while leading the Vikings to the Class 6A semifinals. Bethea was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.

Recruiting Bethea was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services. He committed to playing college basketball for Miami (Florida) after considering offers from Kansas and Villanova. Bethea signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Hurricanes on November 8, 2023.

College career Bethea averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.6 steals per game as a freshman at Miami. Following the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and ultimately committed to Alabama, choosing the Crimson Tide over Kansas State and NC State. Bethea was hampered by injuries and averaged 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. He transferred to Pittsburgh after the season.

Career statistics

College

Personal life Bethea is the son of Jacqueline Kamper and Steve Bethea. His father works at Horizon House, and his mother works in Food service at Penn Presbyterian Hospital. He has four siblings.