CHARLOTTE— Curtis Withers was a local celebrity. He attended West Charlotte High School and was named the Charlotte Observer’s Player of the Year for 2001. He stayed at home to play college football at Charlotte, where he earned three first-team All-Conference honors.
He appeared in one NCAA tournament game in 2004, when Curtis and the 49ers lost to Maryland in the first round. Curtis recorded 17 points and nine rebounds. So it was only natural that Curtis’ son Jae’Lyn, who was born when his father was 16 years old, was a star in the Queen City during his first NCAA tournament game.
“[It was] one of those proud dad moments,” Curtis told The Daily Tar Heel.It was also appropriate that Jae’Lyn scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. One less point, one more board than his father almost 20 years ago today. But, unlike Curtis, this game ended with a victory in Jae’Lyn’s hometown.
The graduate forward took advantage of the unique occasion and looked right at home in the Spectrum Center during No. 1 seed North Carolina’s 90-62 first-round NCAA tournament win over 16th-seeded Wagner. Jae’Lyn’s 16 points set a new season best, while his effort tied his season record of 10 points in the first half. Thursday marked only the fourth occasion this season that he scored in double figures. He also grabbed ten rebounds, his second double-double of the season.
