Offseason Post #7: The Jahvon Quinerly Edition

Posting this in the middle of a huge Alabama softball game because it is big news. Former McDonald's All-American Jahvon Quinerly has committed to Alabama after transferring from Villanova. The 6'1, 175 lb guard, with three years eligibility remaining, is expected to sit out this upcoming season, but he will apply for a waiver to play immediately. My guess is he won't receive a waiver, but the NCAA has also been, shall we say, inconsistent where it concerns transfer waivers.

🐘 I’m home.

— Jahvon Quinerly (@RealJahvonQ) June 3, 2019

  

Pumped to welcome @RealJahvonQ to the the @AlabamaMBB family! Super excited to get to coach JQ, a great kid, with an absolute love for the game!!! #RollTide

— Bryan Hodgson (@BamacoachBryan) June 3, 2019

 

While receiving a commitment from a former 5-star McDonald's All-American is always a cause for celebration, it does need to be pointed out that his first and only season in Villanova was somewhat of a struggle. He only averaged 9.1 minutes per game, finishing his season with modest averages of 3.2 pts, 0.9 ast, 0.8 reb, and 0.2 stls with shooting averages of 33.7% FG, 25% 3-PT and 73.3% from the foul line. I didn't watch enough Villanova games last season to offer an opinion on why Jahvon struggled, but I'm more likely than not to bet on a former McDonald's All-American to figure things out. Hopefully, the future is bright for Jahvon in Tuscaloosa.

The popular narrative is that almost everyone is granted a transfer waiver, but that isn't the case. Here are the numbers for undergraduate transfers waiver approvals in Division 1 men's basketball for last season, compared to the previous season. Each case is unique. pic.twitter.com/EPbViWoQoP

— Alabama Roundball (@BamaRoundball) June 3, 2019

 

With Jahvon's commitment, the scholarship limit has now been reached. With that in mind, I have to give Nate Oats and the staff credit for putting together a roster that I believe, at least on paper, will be very competitive in the SEC next season. Coach Oats himself has said publicly that reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2019-20 will be a realistic goal for this team. The peaks and valleys (mostly valleys) of this program in the last twenty-five years have made me cynical to say the least, but I'm starting to believe this program finally has the right coaching staff in place to win consistently.

I said this after he was hired. Nate Oats was the PERFECT hire for the Alabama basketball program. Going to be special. Getting guys like Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty back plus underrated recruiting class, now Jahvon Quinerly.

The future is bright in Tuscaloosa.

— Jake (@jakeweingarten) June 3, 2019