Alabama men’s basketball will be without guard Jalil Bethea to begin the 2025-26 season after the transfer from Miami suffered a foot injury that required surgery.
The injury occurred in practice last week, and Bethea underwent surgery on Friday. Alabama head coach Nate Oats announced in a statement released by Yea Alabama that the team expects Bethea to return this year.
Bethea was expected to play a significant role in Oats’ offense after the departures of guards Chris Youngblood and Mark Sears.
College basketball insider Adam Zagoria reported on X that Bethea suffered a broken pinky toe and could return by late November.
If Bethea is to return by late November, he could make his Alabama debut during the Players Era Festival tournament, where the Crimson Tide is slated to play three games. It will face off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the UNLV Rebels and a third opponent to be named following the first two contests.
At Miami last season, Bethea averaged 7.1 points per game on 36.8% shooting. Out of high school, he was the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and ranked by the Rivals Industry Ranking as the No. 6 player in the class of 2024, earning him a five-star rating.
Bethea was a projected top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft before his freshman season. After a 7-24 season that saw former Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga retire after 12 games, Bethea moved on from Coral Gables and landed in Tuscaloosa, along with a few other high-profile transfers.
“Jalil is an elite playmaker and possesses great ball-handling skills and decision-making and will be a great fit for our system,” Oats said.
In Bethea’s absence, fans can expect senior guard Houston Mallette to receive more minutes. Mallette’s 2024-25 season was cut short due to a nagging knee injury that forced him to medically redshirt.
Alabama will begin the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3, hosting North Dakota at Coleman Coliseum. A tip-off time has not been released.
