Pitt Lands Former 4-Star Recruit, Alabama Transfer
Pitt is hoping that their latest offseason commitment is someone that can live up to the lofty expectations he carried coming out of high school.
Former Alabama transfer shooting guard Jalil Bethea has given a commitment to Pitt, becoming the third offseason addition for Jeff Capel and Jay Kuntz.
Bethea is a former 4-star, top 50 recruit from Philadelphia, that originally signed with Miami out of high school. The former McDonald’s All-American then transferred to Alabama last offseason after just one season with the Hurricanes. In his freshman season, Bethea played 18 minutes per game (16 starts) and averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard was a highly sought after player in the portal last season and considered by many to be a big addition for Coach Nate Oates and someone with high upside.
However, that never materialled as he was never able to find a spot in the Alabama rotation and become a contributor in their high-powered offense.
Bethea suffered a foot injury in a September practice, which sidelined him for the Tide’s first seven games of the season before he made his Alabama debut on December 3 in a game against Clemson. Four days later, Bethea had his best game of his season as he scored 21 points and collected six rebounds in a win over UTSA.
For the season, Bethea averaged just eight minutes per game, and finished with 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.7 from the field and 31.4 from 3-point range.
For whatever the reason, Bethea never worked out with the Alabama program but is still viewed as a player with tremendous upside and potential to be a major contributor.
With two years of eligibility remaining, Bethea is hoping to live up to that potential with Pitt.
On Saturday, former North Carolina guard Jonathan Powell and BYU wing Dominique Diomande both committed to Pitt.
