TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats isn’t expecting the NCAA to make a ruling on Jahvon Quinerly's eligibility before Alabama basketball’s charity exhibition game against Georgia Tech on Sunday. The head coach spoke to reporters following the Crimson Tide’s open practice Friday, stating he’s still waiting to hear any indication from the NCAA on whether the Villanova transfer will be allowed to play this season.

“We have no idea,” Oats said. “We’re waiting on the NCAA. Until the NCAA gives us an answer, we don't have an answer.”

Quinerly joined Alabama over the summer and has submitted a hardship waiver in an attempt to play right away for the Crimson Tide. The former five-star recruit is sighting the hardship he faced after being linked to a federal probe into college basketball corruption as the cause for his transfer.

Quinerly was set to attend Arizona out of high school but switched his commitment to Villanova after he was accused of taking money from former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson. The accusations against Quinerly were dropped in June after Richardson’s lawyer said Quinerly nor his family were paid.

Until he is cleared by the NCAA, the sophomore is restricted from playing games at Alabama this season, including Sunday’s scrimmage. Quinerly is allowed to practice with the team and was a full participant during the open period of the workout. He faced off against Kira Lewis Jr. at point guard during five-on-five drills.

“He can pass, dribble and shoot,” Oats said of Quinerly. “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, he’s great playing fast, the way we play, and wide open. So, both those guys can pass, dribble and shoot.

“You can play them together just because they can both feed off each other. So I think he just gives us another added dimension where you’ve got a playmaker and you can get him in the lane and making plays for us.”

Oats said he used a starting lineup of Lewis, John Petty Jr., Herbert Jones, Alex Reese and Galin Smith during a private scrimmage against Jacksonville State last week. While that’s likely the same starting five he’ll use against Georgia Tech, the head coach said it could change if Quinerly is declared eligible in the future.

“Just for rotation purposes, maybe you start small with Herb at the four,” Oats said. “Then you’ve got more of your guards in the rotation right out of the gate. Probably not on Sunday, but maybe down the road we’ve talked about doing that.”

One player who will be able to play Sunday is graduate transfer James “Beetle” Bolden, who did not participate in the closed scrimmage while recovering from a shoulder injury. Bolden appeared to injure his wrist during the open period of practice Friday but was able to return to the court.

“He took a charge and fell on his wrist,” Oats said. “He’s been gradually coming back into practice. He was cleared to play minutes on Sunday but in a limited role. Hopefully, the fall he took there when he took the charge doesn’t stop him from playing. He’s a pretty tough kid. He seems to take a charge every time he has the chance.”

Alabama’s exhibition against Georgia Tech is set to tipoff at noon on Sunday inside Coleman Coliseum.

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