Alabama Basketball: Meet the New Guys: A change of scenery will work wonders for Jalil Bethea

Jalil Bethea, Sophomore
SG, 6’5” (175)
ESPN 100 (10th), No. 3 SG

Last year the crown jewel of the Miami Hurricanes’ recruiting class was 6’5” SG Jalil Bethea. Bethea came to Coral Gables as a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American with expectations to supercharge the ‘Canes offense. He was touted as perhaps the most athletic player in that class too.

It didn’t work out that way for Bethea. In fact, for the miserable Hurricanes, nothing worked out. UM was the worst power conference team in the nation, at one point being in the KenPom bottom 30.

The changing landscape, player priorities and underperformance would chase off long-time Miami coach Jim Larranaga (75), who hung it up after a 6-27 season.

“At this point, after 53 years, I just didn’t feel that I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous with an agent saying to me, ‘Well, you can get involved [with a prospective player] if you’re willing to go to $1.1 million,’ and that would be the norm,” he said at a news conference.

Sound familiar?

“I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?

“So I’m saying to myself, ‘Maybe this doesn’t work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it’s all about how much money can I make as a college player?’

You Know Who.

Larranaga’s retirement in turn sent nearly the entire roster scrambling. And Bethea, a much-hyped recruit who had struggled to reach 7 points a night, and committed far too many turnovers at UM, was one of the first in the Portal.

Despite his struggles, Alabama immediately leapt on the athletic Philly native.

Why?

As we wrote when he committed, if Bethea can put it together in Tuscaloosa, he can be a star in the making:

You could scarce build a better guard for the Tide’s offense if you tried. Bethea comes in at a listed 6’5”, has great floor vision, plays passing well lanes, is physical against dribble penetration, transitions from defense-to-offense well, is athletic and strong enough to take contact in the lane, and he’s positively explosive flashing to the rim.

But it’s really Bethea’s shooting potential that entices you, that and his range. Jalil has a bit of a funky stroke, but it’s very effective, particularly at his favorite spot on the floor: the wing-slot spots, from 25-feet or so. That depth is critical to his success, because defenders have a difficult time closing out on his jumpers. Add that to his release is so quick, playing so far off the line, and length enough to get shots over outstretched defenders, and you have a perfect ‘Bama shooting guard.

Watching his highlights, the raw talent jumps off the screen at you. There is so much potential here to love.

He has a lightning fast release, a great pull-up, he’s fast and athletic. He can get to the basket in a hurry, and he transitions on the break superbly, while being a three-level scorer: He can fill the basket in a hurry. Bethea has played both point and off-ball guard spots. And he is not just a big guard at 6’5”, he’s long for that height as well (his wingspan is greater than the taller Amari Allen at SF).

His attitude and enthusiasm at the Capstone have been exemplary since he arrived. You can tell when players are buying-in, and Bethea is sold.

If.

And that one word keeps coming up when discussing Bethea, that hallmark of potential: If.

Can he have a turnaround in Tuscaloosa, now that he’s fully on board with a system that suits his game and a team that can compete at the highest level? If he does, he’s an instant star. Will he be more engaged as a defender now that he is on a deep roster with a staff that will not tolerate taking possessions off? If he does, then a lot of Alabama’s backcourt defensive issues will be alleviated. Will pairing him with an elite point guard, and giving him the green light to shoot in a screen-heavy system, free him up to regain confidence in his perimeter stroke? If he does, he’s going to be Mr. Buckets.

Last year, we had some similar questions about another freshman who had not exactly distinguished himself at a previous stop. Auburn fans couldn’t get rid of Aden Holloway fast enough. But, we loved what we saw, and thought the change of scenery and offensive system really would help Biz shine. And, the simple fact is that not everyone arrives as a fully-developed player:

The fact remains that some players have to grow and develop. He’s one of them. But when he is playing with confidence, when the offense is in a flow, when he can move at tempo, it’s manifest how much talent Holloway has.

Happily, we feel the same about Jalil. The talent is there; it’s beyond there — he’s an NBA-calibre athlete. And we think this is the right place to turn that “if” into “when.” Of all the incoming portal transfers, he has the best potential to be an immediate star, make a lot of money, and get right back on to NBA radars.

I would buy into Bethea now. Bad teams can make even gifted players mail it in.

Welcome to Tuscaloosa,
Roll Tide