Could UNC basketball have found its ‘next Brady Manek’ in Jae’Lyn Withers?
There was some thought Cade Tyson might be the guy, but he hasn’t been.
But what about Jae’Lyn Withers?
North Carolina’s coaching staff, in making its transfer portal decisions, brought in Tyson this season from Belmont to be a stretch-4 forward, someone capable of stepping outside to make 3’s but tall enough to be effective inside when needed.
Someone like Brady Manek, one of the stars of UNC’s 2022 run to the NCAA Final Four, the sweet shooter with the beard and head band who did so much to end Mike Krzyzewski’s storied career at Duke with a loss.
For those wondering what happened to Manek, he’s now playing for the Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League in the EuroLeague. That’s a long way from Chapel Hill and the ACC, but the memories of Manek, who transferred to UNC from Oklahoma, remain fresh..
They do for UNC’s R.J. Davis, who played with Manek that season and now can see Withers in a similar, vital role for the Heels.
Withers is a former transfer, coming to UNC after playing three seasons at Louisville. He arrived with a reputation of being a dependable 3-point shooter. Withers struggled from the arc in his first season with the Heels (20%) -- missing a late 3 in he NCAA loss to Alabama -- but is a 47.2% shooter this season after Wednesday’s performance and ranks seventh nationally.
“He could be the X-factor for us,” Davis said Wednesday after the Heels dispatched Notre Dame 76-56 in the ACC Tournament. “That’s how much faith I have in him, but also this team. The reason why we were so successful in 2022 was because we had a stretch-4. It kind of opened up the floor.”
The way Davis described it, the Heels had Armando Bacot at center, Leaky Black as lockdown defender and Caleb Love at shooting guard while he was the point guard. And Manek, at 6-9 and 230 pounds, the perfect complement as a perimeter shooter with size.
“It was kind of like, pick your poison,” Davis said. “Having ‘J-Whit’ as the stretch-4 now, if they’re going to play the 3, he has the ability to drive by you.
“It’s a good dynamic to have. It kind of gives flashbacks to Brady.”
Withers became a UNC record-holder Wednesday when he knocked down seven 3-pointers in the easy win over the Irish, finishing with a game-high 21 points.
While he said it was nice to have the record, he was much more interested in talking about Wake Forest, about the Heels’ next game in Charlotte in the tournament quarterfinals.
When the Heels faced the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem this season, it left an impression – for UNC, a bad one.
“They had a lot to say after the previous time we played them,”” Withers said.
The Deacons won 67-66, their fourth straight victory over the Heels, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But Thursday’s game at the Spectrum Center shapes up as more important, with NCAA tournament implications for both teams.
“An elimination game,” UNC’s Seth Trimble said.
Withers, for one, said winning doesn’t hinge on him having another strong shooting game. The Heels, he said, have several weapons.
“It could be anybody else going off next game, and us building off it and it having a snowball effect,” he said.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Could UNC basketball have found its ‘next Brady Manek’ in Jae’Lyn Withers?."
