Alabama Basketball: Jahvon Quinerly raises Crimson Tide’s ceiling

Alabama Basketball has been among the nation’s elite teams all year, but the recent emergence of guard Jahvon Quinerly has taken the team to new heights.

Quinerly is one of the most experienced players on the team, and is the lone holdover from the team that won the SEC regular season and tournament championships in 2020-21. When his freshman season at Villanova is factored in, Quinerly has won three outright conference championships in his four years of college basketball.

In the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Jahvon Quinerly suffered a torn ACL just minutes into Alabama’s opening round game against Notre Dame. He returned ahead of schedule this season, but spent most of this year out of rhythm. Quinerly largely came off the bench for Bama’s 2022-23 SEC title-winning team after slowly working his way back into the rotation. While still being a valuable piece and a contributing member of the squad, he struggled with consistency and was turnover prone at times.

Over the last six games, Quinerly seems to have found his rhythm. He scored in double figures five times and has shot just under 45 percent from the field. This includes an off game against Missouri in the SEC Tournament semifinals in which he went 0-9. In the other five games during this stretch, Quinerly is shooting 51.6 percent from the field.

He returned to the starting lineup in time for postseason play and has been a critical piece of the continued success of Alabama basketball. He hit his stride at the perfect time, as fellow guards Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley have fallen into late season slumps. Quinerly’s ability to score, pass, and create offense makes him a fitting backcourt weapon in Coach Nate Oats’ uptempo system.

Alabama Basketball: Where Legends Are Made

Jahvon Quinerly’s late-season emergence should not come as a surprise, given his experience. He is one of the more seasoned guards in the country in postseason play, and it is apparent how comfortable he is this time of year. If Sears can find his rhythm again and return to form, Alabama will boast one of the best guard tandems in the tournament.

Quinerly’s presence in the Tide backcourt makes Alabama Basketball a much more formidable team on its March Madness run. He is as valuable off the court as he is on it, and Crimson Tide fans should be glad to have the senior leader on the squad.