Syracuse Basketball: Philly priority target on cusp of 5 stars, analyst says

Syracuse basketball 2024 priority target Jalil Bethea, a talented and versatile guard from the Philadelphia area, is “on the brink of five-star status,” according to a recent article from a recruiting analyst.

Jason Jordan of Rivals.com, one of the best recruiting analysts out there, recently published a piece where he looked at five rising seniors who have made strong cases in recent months to earn a fifth star in the 2024 national rankings.

Jordan, understandably, included the 6-foot-4 Bethea in his article. This Orange recruit has proven one of the top performers on the AAU circuit dating back to April, and he was an All-American as a junior in the 2022-23 season at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pa.

Syracuse basketball priority target Jalil Bethea is trending toward five stars.

Interestingly enough, of the five prospects who are discussed by Jordan, several of them, besides Bethea, had previously landed ‘Cuse scholarship offers.

They include Derik Queen, an uncommitted power forward/center who was offered by the Orange in October of 2021, as well as point guard Robert Wright III, who is verbally committed to Baylor.

Fellow point guard Tahaad Pettiford, who is verbally committed to Auburn, reportedly received interest from the ‘Cuse at one time or another.

Getting back to Bethea, he helped guided the Philadelphia-based Team Final to the Nike EYBL regular-season championship, and Team Final will be one of the favorites to cut down the nets at the prestigious Peach Jam next month.

"To that end, Jordan wrote, “Bethea is the leading scorer on the No. 1 team (Team Final) in the No. 1 circuit (Nike EYBL) in the country. That should be enough. Still, it’s the ease in which he goes about his dominance that makes the larger impact. Bethea is a marksman from the perimeter, draining 42.6 percent from the 3-point line, but is also adept at using his quickness and elite ball-handling ability to get into the lane and finish at the rim. He plays passing lanes like a seasoned corner and brings an infectious energy on both ends of the floor.”"

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Bethea in September of last year, and he took an official visit to the Hill the following month. He recently said that he may visit the Orange again.

Bethea’s extensive offer sheet also includes Alabama, 2023 national champion UConn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Xavier, 2022 national champ Kansas, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Temple, UCLA, Villanova, VCU, Mississippi State and West Virginia, among others.

Multiple recruiting services, including Rivals.com, have Bethea inside the top 40 of the 2024 cycle. He recently vaulted inside the top 15, according to On3. As I’ve said before, I believe when all is said and done, Jalil Bethea will be a consensus five-star, top-20 national prospect in the junior class.