No. 6 Alabama Basketball's Jahvon Quinerly Could Be X-Factor for a Deep Run in March
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The page of the 2020-2021 college basketball season is now turning to the most important month of the year: March.
Conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament are just days away, and seemingly, every year during this time legacies are forged, key players rise to the occasion, and sometimes even the most unlikeliest of heroes turn it up a notch on the hardwood.
Now NBA stars, Kemba Walker and Stephen Curry, are the two biggest names that come to mind when talking about marvelous March runs.
On Saturday night, the University of Alabama clinched the Southeastern Conference regular-season title by defeating Mississippi State 64-59 inside Humphrey Coliseum in a defensive showdown where offense was hard to find at certain moments.
However, the bright spot for the No. 6 Crimson Tide (19-6, 14-2 SEC) on that side of the ball was sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly. He poured in a game-high 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting and recorded two assists and two steals.
He also led Alabama in plus/minus at +12.
The former Villanova transfer has scored in double-figures seven straight games, all while coming off of the bench. In those contests, Alabama is 5-2.
Despite maybe being viewed as a liability on defense earlier in the season, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats was thoroughly impressed with his outing against the Bulldogs, calling it his best overall game of the year.
"He was huge," Oats said postgame. "His pace was great. That was the best I think I have seen him play. Part of it was that he took a charge, he dove on the floor for a loose ball, he got deflections. He is playing harder.
"When your effort is that hard on defense combined with his speed, skill level, getting downhill, he's a lot to deal with. We want to play fast and he's pushing the ball hard."
Quinerly's speed may be unmatched and that was evident versus Mississippi State by continually taking multiple defenders to the rim and finishing with silky-smooth layups. No one in a white jersey could stay in front of him.
But his perimeter shooting has been the difference of late.
Over his last seven games, Quinerly has converted 20 of his 33 three-point attempts for a blistering percentage of 60.6. Against the Bulldogs, he was 3 of 6.
His all-around ability to drive to the rim and finish, kick the ball out to the open man, three-point shooting and development on defense is exactly why he could be the Crimson Tide's x-factor for a deep run in March, both during the league tournament in Nashville and in Indiana, where the national title will be decided.
"I don't remember the last time he wasn't at least 50 percent from three," Oats said. "It's been a long time. He's at 50 percent or higher for a ton of games here, so not only is he playing fast, getting downhill and getting the ball in the paint, he's also shooting the ball really well."
Quinerly is third on Alabama in scoring at 12.1 points, and on the year is shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep.
Crimson Tide senior wing Herbert Jones believes he is the most explosive guard in the nation.
"I always preach to him, I don't think anybody in the country can stay in front of him," Jones said. "I feel like he believed that tonight, and he created a lot of offense for us. He's playing with a ton of confidence. I feel like he's real hard to guard."
If Quinerly is able to keep up his sensational play and elevate the ability of his teammates, the Crimson Tide will be an extremely hard out for any team standing in its way in the postseason.
"With him coming downhill with the speed and ball-handling he has, just the way he can see the game, it's very hard to guard," Alabama guard John Petty Jr. said. "Once he has that confidence, he gives everyone that confidence and makes us a better team."
