We've yet to see what a fully healthy Alabama basketball team will look like this season, but there have been consistent signs that it might have the highest ceiling yet for a Nate Oats coached team.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism has been an elite backcourt fueled by the three-headed monster of Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, and Latrell Wrightsell. Now, you add in a fourth with sophomore Miami (FL) transfer Jalil Bethea.
Alabama has yet to have all four play together. We saw Philon, Holloway, and Wrightsell take on starring roles in the Tide's road win over St. John's last month. But both Holloway and Wrightsell have missed a few games, and Bethea missed the first seven games of the season with a preseason injury.
Bethea made his debut - sans Holloway and Wrightsell - against Clemson on Wednesday, but in a limited capacity. He got his first extended run during Sunday's blowout win over UTSA, and he looked every bit like the player who was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school.
And that should terrify the rest of the country.
Bethea dropped 21 points and six rebounds in just 22 minutes on Sunday, connecting on 5-of-10 from three-point range. He showed an effort level on the defensive end that will ensure he continues to get minutes, and he made consistently good decisions on offense while connecting on 50% of his three-point attempts.
Wrightsell returned, giving Alabama three of its four guards, with Holloway being held out for a second straight game with an injured wrist. The Crimson Tide should have all four healthy and available on Saturday against Arizona.
The ceiling was already high. Bethea just raised it.
“We’ve been saying Jalil’s one of the more talented kids we’ve got," Oats said. "Trying to get him to really focus on the mental side of things. Playing hard through mistakes, focusing on what he needs to do whether his shots go in, don’t go in. ...He’s made some big strides since he’s walked on campus. Really happy to see him healthy, playing well."
Jalil Bethea is a ceiling raiser for Alabama basketball
Bethea is a former Top 10 overall prospect in his recruiting class. He endured a rough season as a freshman at Miami last year, but that entire team was a dumpster fire and was not conducive to the development of a young player, especially when the head coach quit during the season.
Now, Bethea is in a friendly system, and it has taken him little time to begin blossoming. He's undeniably talented, and if he continues to play with the effort we saw during yesterday's blowout win, there's an obvious role for him on this team.
He's got great length and athleticism, and should be a big help on the glass from the guard spots.
With Philon, Holloway, Wrightsell, and now Bethea - along with the emergence of versatile freshman Amari Allen - Alabama's guard play is as good as it gets in college basketball.
Guard play tends to carry the day in March. Alabama has it in spades, so long as everyone can get - and stay - healthy.