2/9/2023 basketball Edit

2024 Penn State guard target Jalil Bethea erupts during stretch run

Zach Smart • Happy Valley Insider

Hoops Recruiting Analyst

With Penn State bidding adieu to several seniors and fifth year post graduate players this season, shooting will be one category they need to prepare for on the recruiting trail.

And while today's recruiting climate has changed immensely with NIL and a transfer portal that is likely to pop again this season, one high school prospect who could offer immediate contributions is 6-foot-4, three-point assailant and Archbishop Wood off guard Jalil Bethea.

Following a monstrous summer in which he bolstered his stock while simultaneously registering his presence as a deadly catch and stick threat, Bethea has been an efficient source during his junior season.

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He scored 18 points to help pioneer Archbishop Wood to a 68-49 victory over Parkland on Feb. 5. His performance these past few weeks have been emblematic of his all around game, indicative of why you can't pigeonhole him simply as a shooter.

During a recent four game win streak at Archbishop Wood, Bethea is averaging 26 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He's authored efficiency following a 31-point eruption during a 90-79 victory over Philadelphia power Neumann Goretti last month.

During the aforementioned four game streak, Bethea is shooting it at a scalding 57.9 percent from the field, hitting at a 50 percent clip from 3-point territory, hitting 13-for-26. He's been able to manufacture points in a variety of ways and get to the free throw line, where he's hit on 25 of his last 25 in these four games.

Bethea held just one Division I offer heading into his sophomore season. His stock exploded over the summer.

Bethea scored a game-best 29 points during the East's 125-102 loss during the recent Pangos All American Camp Festival Four, a portent of his emergence as one of the country's most prolific scoring threats. He broke open games with shooting binges throughout the summer, including a wild 33-point onslaught (7-for-10 3FG) against Mokan.