Hubert Davis assesses what he didn’t know about Cormac Ryan, Jae’lyn Withers before transfer

Hubert Davis brought in five transfers to North Carolina this offseason. Two of them, though, were more familiar with the Tar Heels than the rest considering they played in the ACC last season.

Davis addressed the portal additions of Cormac Ryan, formerly of Notre Dame, and Jae’lyn Withers, formerly of Louisville, in a press conference last week. To start with Ryan, he credited for being an all-around player and person based on what he has seen from him in his short time in Chapel Hill.

“When you’re talking about Cormac? His ability to shoot the basketball, be able to score. He’s also a playmaker, a guy that can make plays off the bounce,” Davis said. “A basketball player. He’s an incredible defender. A guy that competes on the defensive end.

“The biggest area that I didn’t know, and really I shouldn’t know because I wasn’t his coach, is just what kind of leader he is. He’s a gatherer. He just is a vocal leader. In the locker room, on the court, off the court. He just brings teammates together,” Davis continued. “With him and this being his last year at college? There’s a sense of urgency for him for this thing to work out. It’s just been great being around him and coaching him this summer.”

Ryan is entering his fifth season after starting at Stanford before ending up in South Bend. Over his 116 career games, he is averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals. During his last year with the Fighting Irish, he averaged a career-high 12.3 points and 1.3 steals as a full-time starter.

As for Withers, Davis says he is a player that he has had his eyes on since he came out of Cleveland Heights in 2019. Since then, he flashed his ability to do it all with the Cardinals and even made his mark on the Tar Heels at least once.

“Jae’lyn Withers? He’s somebody that I liked even coming out of high school. I’ve always been a big fan of his,” Davis admitted. “Every time that we played Louisville? The one person I was worried about was him because of his size and his athleticism.

“He can score inside, he can run the floor, he can rebound, he can shoot the ball from three. He shot 40% from three last year. Defensively, he can guard one through five,” continued Davis. “Just having him around? And his personality? He’s just such a team guy. Always laughing, always wanting to have fun.”

Withers averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9% from the field while at Louisville. In total, he appeared in 81 games, with 64 starts, for the program before electing to transfer this offseason.

Both Ryan and Withers will join Paxson Wojcik (Brown), Harrison Ingram (Stanford), and James Okonkwo (West Virginia) as members of North Carolina’s class of portal commitments. Davis is very happy about it too considering what the pair bring to the Tar Heels both on and off of the floor.

“I like what’s in their bags from a basketball standpoint,” Davis said.

“Having those two personalities and the combination of their games is something that I’m really excited about.”