Not every worthwhile transition is smooth. And the payoff usually comes down the road.
Jae’Lyn Withers’ conversion from starter at Louisville to role player at North Carolina must have felt like a never-ending bend to the bouncy 6-foot-9 forward. As close as he was, the light on the other end was nothing more than dim when it wasn’t flickering.
Until it wasn’t.
Withers’ process of figuring out himself, his teammates, and how to meet different demands than he was accustomed simply took time, but he eventually got there. The arch became straight, and Withers was finally home.
“I think that starting the season, it’s tough for almost everybody trying to figure out the new roles with the new people we have on the team and the level of talent that we have," Withers said in February. "So, it’s kind of been like a tough time fitting in…
“I would say I’ve more or less bought into the role that I’ve got, and that’s coming off the bench with energy and making plays. Whenever my card is called, I’ve just got to be ready.”
For a period starting in late January, Withers’ game carried no resemblance of some earlier performances, and mostly what he provided the Cardinals during his time at Louisville, where he started 64 of the 118 games in which he played, averaging 25 minutes in the 2022-23 campaign.
In a five-game stretch that started in late January, Withers scored just two points for the Tar Heels, and they came at the free throw line. He attempted only four shots, and also grabbed a mere six total rebounds in the span.
He was out of sorts. Playing time was dipping, and even the energy he usually brought to the court had little spark. That period was actually in the middle of a 12-game run in which Withers, a native of Charlotte, scored only 29 points with 27 rebounds in 111 minutes.
Withers persevered, however, and came out of it. And played his best basketball since arriving as a result.
“I think he’s realized he can go get it…,” teammate Seth Trimble during the NCAA Tournament. “He may have forgotten it for a period of time, but Jae’Lyn is a special player. And I don’t think y’all have seen his full potential at all.”
Over Carolina’s final seven games of the season, Withers scored 40 points and snared 43 rebounds in 92 minutes of court time. He even handed out seven of his 21 assists during that span.
Withers was better defensively, more active with loose balls, energy plays, and rarely went unnoticed.
“What he brings to the table, we just don't have (otherwise),” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said. “We don't have that type of length and athleticism. And we saw some of that, like the dunk that he had at Pittsburgh. Like there's nobody on the team that can do that.
“So, because of his length and his athleticism, we were allowed to do a number of things defensively, we can be very versatile because he can guard guards.”
Withers played in all 37 games, starting three times, averaging 12.4 minutes per contest. His numbers: 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 21 total assists, 18 total blocks, and he shot 53.5% from the floor, including 20% (4-for-20) from the perimeter, plus he was 46-for-59 (78%) from the free throw line.
Whatever Withers’ full potential is as a Tar Heel has another year to surface. He’s using the Covid year for one more as a veteran comfortable in Carolina blue, with the staff, teammates, and is sure to embrace whatever role Davis give him.
There is one constant, however. Withers will do Withers, he said.
“My mindset is to get to the rim, finish, make athletic plays that’s really hot.”
