Withers Finding Comfort and His Form
CHARLOTTE – Jae’Lyn Withers went through a five-game stretch starting in late January in which he scored just two points, and they came on free throws.
Five games, no field goals.
That was in the middle of a longer period of 12 games in which the athletic 6-foot-9 junior forward managed to produce only 29 points and 27 rebounds in 111 minutes of action.
Yet, Withers kept pounding forward. He continued to mesh with his teammates on the court, and has carved out a role that will be key for North Carolina (28-7) as it marches into the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Michigan State on Saturday. and perhaps beyond.
All Withers has done over the last five games, while playing a total of 68 minutes, is score 32 points while snaring 35 rebounds. His game has changed, and instead of just giving the Tar Heels energy, he’s giving them consistent production now, too.
“I think he’s realized he can go get it…,” sophomore guard Seth Trimble said Thursday following UNC’s 90-62 win over Wagner in the first round of 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.”
Full potential is also a term Armando Bacot used to describe what Withers has recently displayed. And at no time this season has he done so clicking on more cylinders than against the Seahawks.
In 21 minutes of court time, his most since logging 24 on January 17 against Louisville, where Withers played before transferring last offseason to Chapel Hill, he scored a season-high 16 points while tying a campaign-high with 10 rebounds.
In addition, Withers handed out three assists and blocked a shot that immediately led to him rattling home an alley-oop slam from Elliot Cadeau in transition, upholding a code that a player who does something big defensively runs the floor, he should also reap the reward and get a bucket, too.
“Yeah, for sure,” Withers said following the game about the code, smiling. “He definitely rewarded me on that one.”
Withers, however, rewarded the Tar Heels all game. He was 5-for-7 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free throw line. And he did so playing in the town where he grew up. In fact, Withers said his home was a “five-minute drive” from Spectrum Center, where the Tar Heels played Thursday.
“It’s crazy to have a double-double on this stage and this time of the year,” Withers said, sitting in the Heels’ locker room. “You can’t really; I’m kind of lost for words, honestly.”
The recent surge in production for the super-bouncy Withers started during UNC’s win at Duke two weeks ago. He scored that night on multiple tip-ins. Was all around the rim, defended, and bothered Duke with his length, quickness, springiness, and inner dawg.
Six points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes were the stat line at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Six points and seven rebounds followed in a win over Florida State in the ACC Tournament. Then four points and 10 boards combined over the next two games brought Withers and the Tar Heels to the Queen City and the start of the most important part of the season.
The rebounds have been there the last couple of weeks, and now the points came. So many were a result of grabbing offensive rebounds either for put backs or drawing fouls leading to trips at the charity stripe.
“I think it’s (being) a little more aggressive and guys aren’t boxing me out,” Withers said about his uptick in production. “Mando (Bacot) typically gets doubled, everybody collapses on Mando, so I think that leaves me opportunities to fly into the glass and clean it up.”
Bacot laughs about the notion, but also acknowledges it. The same goes for Harrison Ingram, who led the ACC in rebounding this season in conference play.
Shifting toward a fully serious focus, Bacot effortlessly reeled off the things Withers does well.
“(Thursday) he got a huge opportunity to show everything that he has,” said Bacot. “Going into this tournament, I think he’s one of our most important players just because he can do so many different things.
“When he’s playing his best basketball, we’re a tough team to beat because we can put him on the athletic, tall wings, and he can also go rebound out there, catch lives, knock down shots, and do a lot of different things.”
Different things and a different level of performance by Withers of late is partly why Carolina is positioned to make a deep run in the tournament. It’s not all on him, of course, but his role will be a factor moving forward.