The North Carolina Tar Heels barely crept into March Madness this year, much to the anger of college basketball analysts.
After getting blown out at Duke and Clemson to open February, plus a near-loss to Pitt at home, UNC needed to win virtually every game for a shot at the NCAA Tournament. North Carolina then embarked on a 6-game winning streak, nearly extending that by a seventh game in its regular-season finale against the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels then beat Notre Dame and Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament, setting up a rematch with Duke, which was enough for a bid in college basketball’s most prestigious postseason tournament.
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A huge factor in UNC making that late-season run was rarely-utilized power forward Jae’Lyn Withers, whose basketball career will now continue overseas.
On Wednesday afternoon, Withers signed a 1-year deal with Dutch club Heroes Den Bosch, which plays at the highest tier of professional basketball in the Netherlands.
Withers will be joining a championship team in Heroes Den Bosch, which won the past two Dutch Cups as members of the BNXT League. Withers only won one title at North Carolina, which captured the 2024 ACC Regular Season Championship.
Withers spent most of his Tar Heels career coming off the bench, starting just 23 of 74 games for Hubert Davis, but proved to be a real difference-maker in February and March.
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Withers scored a career-high 21 points – on seven made 3-pointers – in UNC’s second round ACC Tournament game against Notre Dame, his fifth time in eight days reaching double-digits. On Feb. 22 in an 81-66 win against Virginia, Withers recorded his second double-double of the year, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Seven days later, Withers scored 11 points and grabbed 10 boards in a 92-73 victory against Miami.
Now playing overseas, Withers has a great chance to continue his late-season from North Carolina’s most recent run to March Madness.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Jae’Lyn Withers signs pro basketball contract in Netherlands
