Bama PG Quinerly to enter portal as grad transfer

Alabama point guard Jahvon Quinerly plans to enter the transfer portal, he announced Sunday night.

Given his status as a graduate transfer, Quinerly won’t need a waiver and will be able to play immediately at his next school.

Quinerly released a statement on social media regarding his decision.

“I can’t say enough about Alabama Basketball,” he wrote. “The relationships I’ve built have gone way beyond basketball, and that’s something that has made my decision to enter the transfer portal so difficult for me. … Part of my journey is taking risks and following my heart. Sometimes as time goes on, we know it’s time to move on, take risks and follow our heart. But this is a truly bittersweet moment for me.”

Quinerly, a former five-star recruit in the class of 2018, started his college career with one season at Villanova before transferring to Alabama. He averaged 12.9 points during his first campaign in Tuscaloosa, then started 27 games as a junior and averaged 13.8 points and 4.2 assists.

After tearing his ACL in March 2022, Quinerly moved to the bench this past season — but coach Nate Oats inserted him into the starting lineup for the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Over his final nine games, he averaged 14.4 points and 4.0 assists, shooting nearly 38% from 3-point range.

Without Quinerly, Oats will have to rely more heavily on transfers Aaron Estrada (Hofstra) and Latrell Wrightsell (CSU Fullerton) and returning starter Mark Sears (12.5 PPG).