Dec 7, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Jalil Bethea (1) dribbles the ball down court during the second half against the UTSA Roadrunners at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images David Leong-Imagn Images

Pitt Basketball Lands Alabama Transfer

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Owen Lenson | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 6:12 PM ET

The Pitt Panthers are slowly but surely making up for all of the players they have lost in the transfer portal. After getting commitments from Jonathan Powell of North Carolina and Dominique Diomande of BYU, they have secured sophomore Jalil Bethea of Alabama.

Bethea, a 6'5 guard, started his career at Miami. He played in 31 games for the Hurricanes and started 16 of them, averaging 7.1 points and 1.2 assists. He then transfered to Alabama, where his minutes went down from 19 to 7.9 per game. He averaged just 3.9 points per game in his limited minutes.

Betha was just on the Alabama team that made a run to the Sweet 16. He had a very limited role in the NCAA Tournament, but he does have experience on a winning team.

Similair to Jonathan Powell, Bethea is a player who sacrificed playing time to play on a more succesful team after his freshman year. Now, he gets a chance to play on a Pitt team that is desperate for players with any experience.

Bethea is a former McDonald's All-American, also winning the McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest. His career three-point percantage is in the lower 30s, but he can knock down a long range shot from time-to-time. He scores best within the three-point line, either getting to the rim or from the midrange.

David Leong-Imagn Images

Three New Players

All three players Pitt brought will be going into their third year of college sports. Bethea and Powell will be juniors while Diomande will be a redshirt sophomore. This will be all of their third teams in those three years, showing the new reality of college sports.

Pitt is taking a chance on these three transfers, as none of them have had true breakout seasons yet. As a former five-star prospect, Bethea might have the most potential on the team. But, Powell has shown the most production so far in his college career compared to the other two transfers.

Roster Construction

Bethea will likely start the season as the team's shooting guard with Powell at small forward. Jermal Jones Jr., Pitt's four-star recruit who predominantly plays shooting guard, will get to start the season behind Bethea and hopefully learn from him.

Until they actually do it, it's going to continue to be mentioned how getting a good point guard and center from the transfer portal is crucial. Pitt has already gained three transfers over the first weekend of the portal being open, so hopefully they're just getting started.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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