By R.L. Bynum
Veteran forward Jae’Lyn Withers is transferring from Louisville to North Carolina.
On Tuesday morning, Withers announced his decision on social media with the words, “New beginnings.” Withers, a graduate transfer who redshirted in his first season at Louisville in 2019–20, played three seasons for the Cardinals and has two years remaining eligibility.
Withers averaged 1.06 points per possession on jump shots with 39% shooting, according to Synergy Basketball. That’s in the 77th percentile and was better than every member of last season’s UNC team. As a team, the Tar Heels averaged 0.88 points per possession on jump shots, in the 14th percentile on 32% shooting.
A 6–9, 220-pound forward, he averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season, making 41.7% of his 3-point attempts. He scored multiple 3-pointers 12 times last season, including four in three games.
Withers, who entered the transfer portal late last month, started 29 of 32 games for the Cardinals, with season-highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds in a Feb. 1 home victory over Georgia Tech. He also had a double-double in a Nov. 12 loss to Wright State with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Withers gives Coach Hubert Davis two incoming transfers, joining former Brown guard Paxton Wojcik.
Withers lost all four games against Carolina, with his best games 12 points on Feb. 1, 2022, (90–83 UNC win) and 10 points with seven rebounds on Feb. 21, 2022 (70–63 Carolina victory).
Withers, a Charlotte native, began his high school career at North Mecklenburg in the Charlotte area but finished it at Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio. He made the ACC All-Freshman team in 2020–21.
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Withers season-highs
| Statistic | Value | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 19 | Feb. 1 | Georgia Tech |
| Minutes | 38 | Feb. 11 | at Miami (FL) |
| Field goals | 7 | Feb. 11 | at Miami (FL) |
| Field-goal attempts | 12 | Jan. 25 | at Boston College |
| 3-pointers | 4 | Feb. 11 | at Miami (FL) |
| 3-point attempts | 7 | Feb. 15 | Virginia |
| Free throws | 7 | Feb. 1 | Georgia Tech |
| Free-throw attempts | 9 | Feb. 1 | Georgia Tech |
| Rebounds | 13 | Feb. 1 | Georgia Tech |
| Assists | 3 | Feb. 25 | at Georgia Tech |
| Blocks | 2 | Feb. 15 | Virginia |
| Steals | 5 | Nov. 12 | Wright St. |
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC two under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Thursday through May 28 — Kevin Thomas at USA Basketball U18 national team tryouts in Colorado Springs
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge (announced last year on June 12)
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo courtesy of the ACC
Hopefully he can be another Brady Manek!