The 2024 recruiting class for Syracuse Men’s Basketball is already shaping up to be one of the best in a long time. With Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore, both committed, Adrien Autry and co. could get a head start and focus on the 2025 class. However, plenty of fish in the pond remain in the class of 24.
One of the biggest fish out there is long-time target, Jalil Bethea. The 6’4 shooting guard has catapulted up the rankings in the past few months. Bethea is now the 9th-ranked player in the class of 2024 by ESPN, while both On3 and Rivals also have him in the top-15. 247Sports puts Bethea just behind at 18.
In a recent interview with On3’s Jamie Shaw, the five-star mentioned how much interest he’s getting from the Syracuse staff. Bethea had taken just two visits at the time of the interview, hometown Temple and a trip to the 315.
“I have a great relationship with the staff at Syracuse,” Bethea said. “Even though Boeheim left, that doesn’t matter because Gerry McNamara and Coach Autry are both there. They both hit me up and call me almost every day. They care about me a lot, and they let it be known they want me to go there, and I am a top priority for them.”
Jalil Bethea in an interview with On3
Bethea said that he plans to take visits to both Kansas and Miami after Peach Jam, the most prestigious high school basketball event which will take place from July 3rd-9th. In terms of when Bethea plans to commit, he said he is eying September however will take his time.
Numbers-wise, Bethea’s commitment would move Syracuse to a top-five recruiting class in the 2024 cycle. The last time Syracuse was in the top ten was back in 2016 when SU finished 7th. The Orange had a top ten class every year between 2014-16.
When it comes to what type of player Bethea is, he is a defense-first player who thrives when playing in transition. On the offensive side, Bethea is best off the ball, coming off of screens. Adrien Autry has shown so far that athleticism is one of the things he is looking for. Bethea seems like the type of player who would fit right in at Syracuse.
