Louisville basketball: 3 takeaways from 2020-21 roster unveiling

Holy bleep, JaeLyn Withers

Remember back in May when I wrote that JaeLyn Withers may be the most exciting player on Louisville basketball’s roster? That statement was all but confirmed for me with the roster release.

When we had Chris Mack on the Big Red Louie Podcast back in May he talked a lot about the upcoming season and the players that would make up the 2020-21 roster, but to me, there was one major takeaway.

Mack told us:

"“I know that when we recruited Jae’Lyn, we never had the intention of playing him at the five, but he’s grown an inch and a half, he’s certainly strong enough to defend most fives in our league, and I think he’d be a very tough cover for a lot of teams- Especially when he faces the basket.”"

Today  when the roster was released the first thing I noticed was the jump in weight for Withers. When Withers committed, he was somewhere between 210-215 pounds. As of today, the roster officially lists the 6’8 forward (center) at 235 pounds shining light on the incredible work of Strength and Conditioning coach, Andy Kettler.

Mack talked about how he thought Withers could develop into a Aamir Simms caliber player, saying:

“(Withers is) A little bit like Aamir Sims from Clemson,” said Mack. “I know that they recruited him to that position, but for a lot of teams, boy, was he a tough matchup. Jae’Lyn has a chance to really help our team, and we’re going to need him to. I think he can be effective at both ends of the floor.”

The “four” or power forward position is the biggest question mark on the roster with Quinn Slazinski and Withers expected to play the majority of minutes. A lot will be expected right away for two players who aren’t proven players by any means, especially considering who they’ll replace, and Withers has the potential to earn a lot of playing time should he show the level of play Mack talked about.

Withers will play a big role for the team and should Aidan Igiehon struggle or starting center Malik Williams go down with injury, he’ll be looked at as a player capable of playing extended time at the five

The potential of Withers is easily the highest of any player on the team, and by seasons end we could be talking about a guy drawing draft attention because of his size, athleticism, and skill.