NCAA denies eligibility appeal for Alabama basketball’s Jahvon Quinerly

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jahvon Quinerly’s transfer saga won’t have a happy ending. Alabama basketball announced Monday that the Villanova transfer lost his appeal with the NCAA and will have to sit out the 2019-20 season. The NCAA denied Quinerly’s eligibility waiver last month and confirmed its stance after a conference call with the sophomore as well as Alabama’s compliance team Monday.

“We can’t begin to express how disappointed we are with this decision,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne and head basketball coach Nate Oats said in a joint university release. “Jahvon and his family have been through a set of circumstances that no student-athlete in the history of the NCAA has experienced. Their name has been falsely dragged through the mud for two years, and we felt confident that the NCAA Committee for Legislative Relief would recognize this very unique set of circumstances. We will continue to support Jahvon and his family in every way that we can.”

Quinerly, a former five-star recruit and McDonalds All-American, was the No. 31 player overall in the 2018 class. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard originally committed to Arizona out of high school but eventually wound up at Villanova after he was involved in an FBI probe that saw him accused of taking money from former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson. The accusations were dropped in June after Richardson’s lawyer said neither Quinerly nor his family were paid.

"I couldn't believe it," Oats said of the NCAA's decision following Alabama's game against Florida Atlantic later Monday. "... Greg kind of talked to some people on the committee, but it is what it is.

"It's one of those deals where it doesn't fit. They try to make everything so black and white with the NCAA sometimes. It doesn't really fit a box. There's never been an FBI investigation on NCAA men's basketball. I think if anybody knew what Jahvon and his family went through — we just felt like if you knew the whole story any reasonable person would have wanted him for his family to be able to play."

Quinerly wasn’t much of a factor in his lone season at Villanova, averaging 3.2 points and .9 assists while logging just one minute over the Wildcats final eight games. His impact on Alabama this year would have likely been far greater if he had been ruled eligible.

“He can pass, dribble and shoot,” Oats said last month. “We’re looking for skilled guards. He does all three. He can really knock down shots. He gets in the paint, can find guys. His handle’s tight… Similar to Kira (Lewis Jr.), he’s great playing fast, the way we play, and wide open.”

While Quinerly will not be able to see the court for Alabama this season, Oats said he still expects him to make a difference on this year's team.

"Going in I told him this could be win-win," Oats said. "'If you have to sit, we're going to make you a lot better and you can come on this team a year later killing everybody. If you can play right away, we'll play you and Kira together a lot.'"

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