Jalil Bethea (above) flirted with a triple-double in a win over O’Hara. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Josh Verlin
In order for Archbishop Wood to be a contender in the Philadelphia Catholic League, it needs its best player to lead the way. That’s something Jalil Bethea’s working on, the junior guard and high-major Division I recruit knowing he needs to be more than just a talent: he needs to be the driving force behind the Vikings, the one who makes them stronger and the glue that keeps them together.
So it was a good sign for John Mosco when, in the final minutes of a tight Catholic League road game at Cardinal O’Hara, Bethea got into the lane, and — instead of pulling up for a contested jumper — he instead dished off to teammate Markus Dixon for a layup, a key play in Wood’s 72-63 win.
“It’s definitely just, trust your teammates,” Bethea said. “You trust your teammates, your teammates can shock you. All you’ve got to do is put your trust in them, they’ll do their thing.”