CHAPEL HILL - Jae’Lyn Withers spent the first four seasons of his college career at Louisville experiencing an up-and-down stint with the Cardinals.
Withers was part of a top-10 team as a freshman and finished his career at Louisville as a starter on a 4-28 squad.
On Wednesday night, he will face his former school for the first time since transferring to North Carolina, as the Tar Heels look to extend their winning streak to seven games. And, as Withers suits up against friends, former teammates, and former coaches, he is playing his best basketball as a Tar Heel.
“My freshman year we were top 10 in the country with Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch, that team," Withers said Saturday, following UNC's rout of Syracuse at the Smith Center. "I would say since then, it’s been a little up and down at Louisville, so I think that coming here with the same caliber of players as my freshman year team, that’s been good for me to see. It’s good in practice, we’re battling one another, whether it’s a starter or the reserves. We’re all competing.”
Withers has recorded double digit minutes in five consecutive contests, including 14 in the Tar Heels’ 103-67 win over the Orange. He amassed 10 points (4-for-5 field goals) for just the second time this season, and tallied six rebounds in the win over the Orange.
Withers has scored in each of the last five contests and twie snared six rebounds in that stretch. But, for the 6-foot-9 forward, his spot in the rotation has not always been so clear.
Beginning with North Carolina’s first loss of the season against Villanova, Withers combined for just eight points over a five game stretch while shooting 2-for-11 from the field.
He saw his minutes decrease, logging just six minutes against Florida State, nine against UConn, and four against Oklahoma.
Withers recorded 20 minutes or more in 55 contests as a member of the Cardinals, and had done so just twice over the Tar Heels’ first 16 games. Withers’ piece contributing to Carolina’s puzzle had dwindled.
Now, four weeks later, the Charlotte native finds himself as a key reserve on the No. 4 team in the country.
Since the season-low four-minute outing against Oklahoma on Dec. 20, Withers is averaging 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in over 13 minutes a game.
So, how did he do it? By embracing his role.
“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," he explained. "So, it’s kind of been like a tough time fitting in for I think a lot of people. 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.”
His start to the season was a microcosm of the Louisville teams he was a member of with flashing of success combined with spurts of inconsistent basketball.
Withers is now experiencing success and consistency in tandem with the current ACC-leading Tar Heels, who are 13-3 and sit at 5-0 in league play.
“It feels great,"he said. "I think that the big emphasis for us is keeping our foot on the gas, not really letting up. I think that we’re already Chapel Hill, so I think that everybody wants to play their best game against us. So, I think with that stay(ing) on the gas that limits the amount that people can really do that.”
From a four-win season to the No. 4 team in the country, Jae’Lyn Withers finds himself firmly in the Tar Heel’s rotation and despite seeing a drop in minutes from 30 last season to 15 in Chapel Hill, he is happy where he is.
“I think that being on a winning team is nothing but love right now. I’m enjoying it.”
