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2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster
Jae'Lyn Withers
- Position:
- Forward
- Height:
- 6-8
- Class:
- Redshirt Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Charlotte, N.C.
- High School:
- Cleveland Heights (Ohio) HS
Redshirt Junior Year in 2022-23
• Started 29 of 32 games while averaging 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 25 minutes per game
• Shot 43.3% overall from the field and a team-best 41.7% from 3-point range (40 of 96)
• Named one of three team captains in preseason
• Improved his 3-point shooting dramatically after shooting 23% from deep in 2021-22
• Scored season-high 19 points vs. Georgia Tech on Feb. 1 with career highs for rebounds (13), made 3s (4), made free throws (7) and FT attempts (9)
• Tallied 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five steals against Wright State on Nov. 12
• Scored team-high 17 points with two made 3s in season opener against Bellarmine on Nov. 9
Redshirt Sophomore Year in 2021-22
• Starting forward in 15 games who was second on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and third in steals (20 total).
• Suffered a bone bruise in his right knee at Virginia Tech and missed UofL’s final three games of the season.
• Prior to his injury at Virginia Tech, Withers averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last 12 games while shooting 45 percent from the field (39-87), scoring nine or more points in seven of those 12 (five of the last eight; averaged 9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg in the last eight).
• Had multiple stitches in his mouth after taking a blow in practice on Feb. 24, limiting him to a combined 17 minutes in his last two games. Withers averaged 4.2 points in the first 17 games of the season.
• Tied his career scoring high of 20 points against Notre Dame, adding five rebounds and a career-high matching three steals.
• Led UofL with 13 points at Syracuse, his first time leading the Cardinals in scoring this season.
• Scored 10 points against Boston College on 4-of-6 shooting for his first double-digit scoring night since Nov. 25 against Mississippi State.
• Grabbed a season-best 11 rebounds against Maryland, his fifth career game with double-digit rebounds
• Was close to a double-double vs. Furman (14 points, 9 rebounds).
Redshirt Freshman Year in 2020-21
• Second among freshman rebounders in the ACC for all games in 2020-21 (7.7 per game, seventh overall) and the leading freshman in conference only games (8.4, 3rd overall).
• After redshirting in 2019-20, Withers averaged 10.1 points while shooting a team-best 55.2 percent from the field in 2020-21.
• Honored on the 2021 ACC All-Freshman team. He is the first Louisville freshman to be named to the conference All-Freshman team in the Cardinals’ seven years in the ACC and he is the first Cardinal to receive a similar honor since Chane Behanan was named to the Big East All-Rookie team in 2012.
• Only player to start all 20 games for the Cardinals during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last four games.
• Named ACC Co-Freshman of the Week for games Feb. 22-28 after averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and shooting 52.4 percent from the field in victories over Notre Dame and Duke.
• Produced his third double-double of the season against Notre Dame on Feb. 23 with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. All three double-doubles occurred in ACC games, also totaling 16 points and 12 rebounds against then No. 19/20 Virginia Tech on Jan. 6; and he had 18 points and 11 rebounds at Miami on Jan. 16.
• Totaled 13 points and seven rebounds in the Cardinals’ victory over Duke on Jan. 23, with 10 points and six rebounds coming in the second half.
• Produced 16 points, a career-high 12 rebounds and two steals against Virginia Tech for his first career double-double. He became the first Louisville freshman to have at least 15 points and at least 12 rebounds against a conference opponent since Pervis Ellison had 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 88-79 win over Memphis in the Metro Conference Tournament Championship on March 9, 1986.
• Contributed at least seven points and five rebounds in 14 games, including nine double-figure scoring efforts.
• Of his 11 points and six rebounds against Seton Hall, seven points and five rebounds came in the second half.
• His cousin Jaire Alexander played football for three seasons at Louisville (2015-17) and is currently a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, where he was a first-round draft pick in 2018.
Freshman Year in 2019-20
• Redshirted his initial collegiate year in 2019-20.
• Won the team slam dunk competition at the preseason “Louisville Live,” a preseason outdoor event at Fourth Street Live! in downtown Louisville.
High School
• Averaged 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots as a senior in helping Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High School to a 14-11 record while reaching the district semifinals. He played only his senior year at Cleveland Heights.
• As a junior in 2017-18, Withers averaged 20 points, 10.1 rebounds and shot 43 percent from three-point range as a junior in helping North Mecklenberg High School in Huntersville, N.C. to a 27-2 record and a conference regular season and tournament championship, earning first team AP all-state honors.
• The 2018 Charlotte Observer 4A Metro Player of the Year and I-MECK conference player of the year, Withers ranked No. 100 nationally by Rivals.com and No. 120 by 247Sports.com. North Mecklenberg went 24-4 in 2017-18 and reached the NCHSAA 4A sectional final.
• Withers averaged 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in the summer of 2018 with his AAU squad Team Loaded North Carolina.
• Participated with the USA All-Stars in The Roundball all-star game played in Pittsburgh following his senior year.
• His father, Curtis, was a three-time All-Conference USA forward at Charlotte (2002-06), where he is seventh in career scoring (1,750), third in career rebounding (1,042) and second in career double-doubles (46). One of only three players in school history with over 1,000 rebounds, he has played professional basketball in foreign countries over the last 12 years.
• Withers chose to attend Louisville after also considering Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Virginia among others.
Personal
• Born Dec. 20, 2000 ... Son of Sheena Carr and Curtis Withers ... Has four siblings: Jayla, Ja’Kayla and Jah’King Withers and Messiah Carr ... Major is exercise science.
• Best moment of his athletic career to date was winning the 2018 I-MECK Player of the Year award.
• Personal goal at UofL is to win a national championship and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
• Enjoys playing video games in his spare time.
• Chose to attend UofL because “it felt like home and there were welcoming arms.”
• Best basketball advice given to him was “don’t take the day for granted.”
• Most proud of “myself for making it this far in basketball and going to college on a scholarship.”
• Feels Ray Allen would be the best actor to play him in a movie.
• If you walked into his dorm room, the first thing you would notice is his huge television.
• Few people know that he loves anime.
• Best thing about being a Cardinal is “the fans treat you like an NBA player.”
• When playing basketball as a kid, he pretended he was Kevin Durant.
• Best athlete he ever faced was Coby White.
• Would most like to meet Kevin Durant.
Favorites
Basketball Player: LeBron James
NBA Team: KD/LeBron James bandwagon
Athlete, other than a basketball player: his dad
Movies: Major Payne, Mission Impossible
TV Shows: The Office, Family Guy
Actor: Denzel Washington
Comedian: No favorite; “I have a top 10”
Musical Group/Singer: Migos
Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Foods: Seafood
Midnight Snack: Cookies and creme milkshake
Vacation spot: Bahamas
