Jae'Lyn Withers

Jae'Lyn Withers (born December 20, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Louisville Cardinals.

High school career
Withers played basketball for North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina. As a junior, he averaged 20 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, earning Charlotte Observer 4A Metro Player of the Year and I-MECK Player of the Year honors. For his senior season, he transferred to Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Withers averaged 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a senior. He competed for Team Loaded NC on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. A consensus four-star recruit, Withers committed to playing college basketball for Louisville over offers from Arizona, Florida, Texas and Texas A&M.

College career
Withers redshirted his first season at Louisville to focus on gaining strength and weight. On November 29, 2020, he recorded a freshman season-high 20 points and nine rebounds in an 86–64 win over Prairie View A&M. As a freshman, Withers averaged 10.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman Team honors.

He started 15 out of 29 games his sophomore season, averaging 5.8 points per game and was second on the team in rebounding with 4.6 per game. In his junior year, he started 29 out of 32 games on the season and averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He led the Cardinals with a 41.7% three-point percentage.

Following the season, he entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal. Withers would ultimately choose to return to his home state and decided to transfer to North Carolina.

Personal life
Withers was born when his father, Curtis, was 16 years old and a high school sophomore. Curtis played college basketball at Charlotte, where he was an all-conference player, before embarking on a professional career in the NBA Development League and overseas.