Lucas: Versatile Withers Fits In

🎥: THE INTRO: Jae'Lyn Withers#CarolinaFamily | @jaelynwithers pic.twitter.com/sm2yj0mQXK
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) October 24, 2023

By Adam Lucas

Describing exactly what Jae'Lyn Withers will bring to this year's Tar Heels isn't easy.

"I can play the five," Withers says. "I can handle the ball if I need to. I can take someone off the dribble. I can spot up and shoot. And I can get on the rim."

So, in other words, Withers is comfortable contributing anywhere from beyond the three-point line to directly under the basket?

"You will see me in a lot of places this year," he says.

You've previously seen him at Louisville, where he spent his first three years of college basketball. The Charlotte native had an eventful tenure with the Cardinals, and also played a similarly diverse role. Early in his career, he was more frequently around the basket, including playing a decent amount of center as a freshman. By last season, he had evolved into largely a spot-up three-point shooter.

It worked, as he hit 41.7 percent from beyond the arc last year (after making just 23.4 percent as a sophomore), a figure that would have easily led Carolina's squad during the same season. His improvement was partially attributable to hard work—"I got up a lot of reps in the last year and a half, and I was feeling comfortable with the new mechanics I added to my jump shot," Withers says.

But Hubert Davis will be his fourth head coach in the last four seasons, so Withers has become fairly adept at adapting to a new environment and new expectations. And as he began discussions with Davis after entering the transfer portal, what did his future coach identify as his strengths that would help the Tar Heels?

"He sees me," Withers says, "being able to do a little bit of everything."

That's a surprisingly accurate description of Withers' contributions during the first month of the preseason. He gives Carolina some welcome flexibility and the ability to guard any position on the court. He has also been much more than just the spot-up shooter you might remember from last year, when he took almost as many three-point shots as two-point shots for the struggling Cardinals.

Instead, he's scored all over the court—sometimes in the post, sometimes driving past his defender, and sometimes, yes, shooting over the top of the defense.

It's his athleticism that has been most notable. He simply makes the type of plays Carolina wasn't capable of consistently making last season. That can be offensively, where he's comfortable playing above the rim and has also made a habit of swiping offensive rebounds over and around unsuspecting defenders. But it's also defensively, as he's shown an ability and knack for swatting shots both against his man and in help defense.

Withers knows 2017 Tar Heel national champion Kennedy Meeks through their shared Charlotte connection. When he was deciding his next college stop, Meeks gave him some very honest advice: "He told me it's a different ballgame here," Withers says. "He told me that I would be competing day in and day out."

That type of competition was exactly what he wanted. Louisville was a disappointing 4-28 last year, and that experience impacted the way Withers searched for his next college destination.

He liked the Chapel Hill location, which put his family roughly five hours closer by car and made it much easier for them to attend his games. He also liked the potential to win.

"When you're younger, you pick a school where you can get a lot of shots or minutes," he said. "When you're older, you want to go somewhere where we're going to win and compete on a high level. The NCAA Tournament is a big thing on my bucket list this year. I've never been in the Tournament."

He doesn't just want to make the field. Withers could have stayed at Louisville and played ACC basketball at a historically relevant program at a shiny venue. In his summer in Chapel Hill, however, he has learned there is only one measure of a great season at his new home.

"Hanging a banner," he says. "That's the greatest achievement, of course. Not only that I would have ever had, but a great one for this team and this program."

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