Goodnews: UNC Basketball has acquired an additional star player for an additional season

At least a few players from extra years will be on the UNC basketball team in 2024–25.

Since the NCAA did not deduct any athlete’s eligibility for the shortened 2020–21 campaign, it was generally assumed that Jae’Lyn Withers would return to Chapel Hill for another season of college.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound UNC basketball forward confirmed to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Thursday that he does intend to repeat as a “super senior” for the Tar Heels, so this is about as official as it gets.

Withers played three seasons for the Cardinals after receiving a redshirt in 2019–20. As one of six Tar Heels who played in all 37 games for a 2023–24 team that won the ACC regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, he transferred to UNC last year and quickly established himself as a vital player of the rotation.

Alongside guard Seth Trimble, who has also declared his intention to return for his junior year next season, Jae’Lyn Withers was one of the first two weapons off the bench and averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. He made 78.0 percent of his shots from the charity stripe and 53.5 percent from the field.

Withers, a native of Charlotte, is currently the eldest of the ten players scheduled for Hubert Davis’ fourth season in charge in Chapel Hill. The current ACC Player of the Year, guard RJ Davis, who formally announced his return for a fifth year earlier this week, is 10 months older than him.

READ MORE:

Jae’Lyn Withers of UNC Basketball reveals her objectives for the 2024–2025 campaign.

There’s still more roster news to come as Jae’Lyn Withers’s formal plans for the upcoming season are now known.

Nowadays, with so many options available to student-athletes, the collegiate basketball summer is usually a tumultuous time.

There is one more factor to consider for the last set of student-athletes who were granted an extra season of eligibility as a result of COVID.

For a fifth season, do they go back to their current school?
Do they use the transfer portal in order to look for alternative possibilities?
Is going the professional route a possibility for some?

Two UNC basketball players were eligible to use their fifth season, including Jae’Lyn Withers. Similar to his teammate RJ Davis, Withers has decided to run for office again in North Carolina in 2024–2025.

The news that the Tar Heels have returned a 6-foot-9 forward who gives them more athleticism and versatility was first broken by Jon Rothstein.

Although the former Louisville Cardinal saw plenty of significant action during his first season in Chapel Hill, Withers was primarily utilized as a reserve. In the Tar Heels’ NCAA Tournament debut game against Wagner, he recorded a double-double. As the playoffs progressed, so did his playing time.

There are supporters who will argue that this isn’t a big deal (because some are still bitter about his late three-point attempt against Alabama in the Sweet 16). However, Withers is a player who can add much-needed depth to the frontcourt, so this is huge news for the UNC basketball team.

Withers is about to enter his senior year at college and will be looking to contribute significantly to Hubert Davis’ squad once more. You can anticipate seeing a lot of Jae’Lyn Withers in the 2024–2025 season, regardless of whether he ends up starting or playing in a reserve capacity.