Bethea was recently named to the McDonald's All-American team, the first player in Wood history to ever receive the honor. For context, some of the biggest names to ever play in the NBA, such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan, were once McDonald's All-Americans.
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"Being named to that is just a blessing. I'm glad I made my family, my friends proud," "Bethea said.
His head coach, John Mosco, said that kids who see him on the road now ask him to sign McDonald's boxes.
He's found success on the basketball court, but it wasn't always that easy.
Before he was the reigning Catholic League MVP, the program leader in scoring, or a five-star recruit, Jalil didn't even see a minute of playing time. It wasn't until his junior season that he became a starting player.
"In middle school, I was never used to not playing," Bethea said. "And then when I got to high school, it just humbled me and just made me work even harder."
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"He's a loyal kid," Mosco said. "Especially in this day and age, kids, if they don't play right away, they run. He fought to get on the court. He fought to get better."
Bethea was unsure about the sport of basketball after his freshman season, but he's happy he fought the uphill battle.
"I'm just glad I just stuck to it and actually not leave the school, because the school actually helped me a lot," he said.
"Now he's learning that everybody looks up to him and everybody looks at him for where we're going and how we're getting there. And it's a lot of pressure for an 18-year-old kid," Mosco reflected. "He's a good kid. He's somebody you'd want in your family."