It’s not breaking news to state that college basketball is viewed differently now than it was when most of us became fans. It used to follow a familiar path: a player joins a team, and then unless he was a massive talent and could get drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, you would see him develop over four—or even five—years.
Now that’s all gone out the window. Thanks to the transfer portal, it’s increasingly rare to have a player that is a star on your team say throughout their full collegiate career. Carolina had one unicorn like that in Armando Bacot last season, and now one more has taken off his UNC jersey for the last time in RJ Davis.
Carolina only had one other player out of eligibility who spent more than one year at UNC, and that’s Jae’Lyn Withers. Tar Heel Blog writer and editor Brandon Anderson will have a post about the portal acquisitions tomorrow, but for our purposes this is for the two players who were already on Carolina’s roster at the end of last season and played meaningful minutes this season. Both have some unique circumstances around their play, so the grades may be a little different than you’d expect.
Let’s go in reverse alphabetical order.
### Jae’Lyn Withers
Withers is perhaps the player that has both helped Carolina more than anyone ever thought, and cost them more than people would be comfortable with. His 2024 season ended with what can best be described as an ill-advised three against Alabama in the last minute that basically cost Carolina the chance to win the game. It was a fitting end to a season where it seemed like the scales would have one good move followed by one bad move.
Withers ultimately became an unexpected lynchpin to this season. He started 23 games, and averaged playing 18 minutes after only averaging 12.4 last year, but that doesn’t really give you a view of everything he did. Eventually, Withers was found to be the answer to the question of what to do about the four position when the main choice for that spot didn’t really work out. It quickly turned into a move that saved the season, as he would go on to score 19 against Clemson, 11 against FSU and Miami, and 21 against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament opener. He was consistent and a force on the floor that also was noticeable when he _wasn’t_ on the floor.
But the old Withers would show up at the worst times. While he was perhaps a huge reason the Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament in the first place, he was also a big reason that it was in doubt. His lane violation in the ACC semi-final against Duke cost Carolina a tie, and with momentum likely cost them a season-defining win against Duke. Everyone rallied around Withers, including Hubert Davis in the post game media scrum, and that speaks to just how much he meant to people in the locker room.
Overall, you can ding him for the errors but if you’re being honest with yourself, the contributions he made to the team after the way last season went (and ended) was above and beyond what was expected. He gets knocked for his mistakes, but this team doesn’t get to the NCAA Tournament without him. So, let’s give him a: **B**
### RJ Davis
This one is tough.
By every imaginable standard, this season was a disappointment for Davis. It just was. He was the highest paid player for the Tar Heels, it was considered a coup to bring back the reigning ACC Player of the Year, and he was considered a huge reason why the Tar Heels were ranked in the top 10 to start the season. Instead, his scoring was down by four points a game, his three point shooting dropped by three percent, he had more turnovers than last season, and he visibly struggled because of the lack of a post presence—at least early.
That said, just like Withers, the Tar Heels don’t get to the tournament without him. At the end of the season, we started to get vintage RJ to try and get the season going. He had a scorching first half against Duke in his last game in Chapel Hill, he hit 23 against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament where the Tar Heels sealed their NCAA bid, and he came out scorching against San Diego State in the First Four.
The other big thing that affected his scoring at the end of the season: his role changed. For most of this season and last, he was viewed as the two guard; shooter first, but not as responsible for facilitating the offense. To save the Tar Heels’ season, some of the ball handling responsibility was taken off Elliot Cadeau and shifted back to Davis. The move helped both Cadeau and him, as they were able to go on the season-ending run to get into the Tournament.
It showed what was more important to him was to ultimately win, and unfortunately he (and we) underestimated just how much having a big like Bacot down low helped him. He adjusted and fought to the end, and his number is still going to be hanging from the rafters. While the season is doubtlessly a disappointment for him, Carolina doesn’t have the same success without him, thus his grade will be a: **B**