Jae’lyn Withers was a popular prospect after the two April recruiting periods with his play for Team Loaded. The 6-foot-8 North Carolina native can legitimately play both forward spots with his skill, athleticism and versatility, and it’s those traits that have college coaches most excited.
Among the schools involved with him right now are Arizona, Boston College, Clemson, Florida, Louisville, NC State, Texas and Virginia. He took an unofficial visit to Louisville earlier this summer and mentioned Arizona and Texas as two schools he wants to see at some point this fall.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Arizona: “Everything about them is great. I like the way coach (Sean) Miller coaches. He has his system, but it spreads the ball around. It’s not like it stays in one person’s hands.”
Clemson: “They’ve been on me for a minute. I’ve been to a bunch of their games when they’ve played Duke or South Carolina and a few others. I just like how they play. They have a real good system. They’ve been telling me I can play just like Donte Grantham.”
Florida: “Coach (Mike) White hit me this morning and his assistants hit me up all the time. They are just trying to stay in my ear and make sure they are in the picture. I like how they play fast.”
Louisville: “It’s a great program. I like it overall. It’s a great situation on and off the court. They are known to have a great program on the court. Off the court, I like everything on the campus is in one area with no distractions.”
Texas: “I was watching film on them earlier this week and I like the system Shaka Smart has. He lets his players play, push the ball up the court, and he gives his players a lot of freedom.”
Virginia: “Coach (Tony) Bennett and them stay on me. It’s a good program. I’m good at shooting off screens and they run a lot of ball screens to get their shooters open.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Withers said he’ll likely be taking his visits in September as he moves towards a decision. And when might that decision come. “As soon as possible,” Wither said. Louisville has been the program getting the most buzz with him behind the scenes for a while now. His interest in Arizona and Texas is real and could only be enhanced by visits to those schools. Keep an eye on Clemson here too as that’s the program he’s probably most familiar with.
