The Quinerly Question: Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! Villanova’s season only came to an end three days ago, but it didn’t take long for the question that everyone’s been asking to start popping up in print. Will freshman Jahvon Quinerly stay with the Wildcats or decide to transfer elsewhere? The Inquirer’s Joe Juliano does a great job recapping Quinerly’s frustrating first season in our first article below. But of even more interest, it appears we have a timeline for his decision.

Yesterday, Jay Wright told reporters that he plans to meet with Quinerly and his parents in the next week or so to discuss the decision. Juliano quotes Jay in the article, “He and I talk all the time. If he believes this is best for him, we’d love to have him. He knows what this is. he’s been here for a year and he’s a smart kid. So we respect his decision on what he believes is best for him.” Wright continued, “In the offseason, that’s what we try to do for every player. You meet. You want guys to be here because they believe this is the best for them. You don’t want guys who feel like they’re stuck here.”

I’m not going to pretend to know which way this situation is leaning. Even the “sources” I’ve heard from have differing opinions that seem based in opinion more than fact. So instead, let’s take a quick look at the reasons Quinerly would have to stay, and reasons he’d have to go.

There’s certainly enough in the “stay” category for Quinerly to give it serious consideration. First off, he’s already put in a year’s worth of work in learning this system and forming a bond with his teammates. While that experience would help him anywhere he went, it would obviously be most beneficial at Villanova. There’s also the fact that he has a path to the starting point guard role. No other player on the team or coming in is a true point guard, and Quinerly’s combination of talent and experience should give him a leg up on players like Collin Gillespie, Bryan Antoine, and Justin Moore. Also, he’d have the benefit of actually playing this season instead of having to sit out a year by transferring. And even though a number of fans are speculating that he’s out the door, everyone would love to see him overcome this first season to become the star he was recruited to be at Villanova.

On the other hand, Quinerly may just want a fresh start somewhere. His talent would likely land him somewhere in a major conference, so he’d still have the opportunity to compete against the best at this level. A year sitting out may be what he’s looking for to put some distance between everything that’s happened at his first two schools and the basketball future he has ahead of him. He could also be looking for a different style of play now that he understands better what Villanova runs. And sometimes while a coach and player may see eye to eye during recruitment, the chemistry just isn’t there once they’re together on campus.

This is all speculation, and at this point I really think it could go either way. As a Villanova fan, I hope he decides to stay because I think this team could be really good with him at his best next season. But as a Quinerly fan, I just hope he does what’s going to make him happy in the long run.

In other “news”, Gillespie stays positive after the loss, St. Joe’s coaching search has Villanova ties, and today’s Michael Avenatti “Nike Scandal” press conference has been canceled due to his incarceration for extorting Nike. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

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Quinerly came in as a five-star recruit and a top 25 player, but he played in just 25 games and saw one minute of action in Villanova's final eight games. He did not play at all in the post-season.

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If Duke goes on to win the national title this year, the Blue Devils won't be the only champ to have survived an early-round close call. Villanova narrowly escaped Dayton in the opening round of the 1985 tournament.

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Villanova met for breakfast Monday morning followed by the final team meeting of the season. It’s an annual rite of spring, one head coach Jay Wright conducts, win or lose.

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Villanova Adjacent

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The Maryland commit led Franklin on a 34-0 title run in her final season with the Warriors. She's the daughter of former Villanova player Lance Miller.

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More laughable Jay Wright rumors.

McDonald’s All American Game

Cole Anthony, Samantha Brunelle McDonald’s All American 3-point stars | USA Today HSS
Cole Anthony and Samantha Brunelle took home the 3-point hardware at the POWERADE Jam Fest.

McDonald's All-American Game: Scottie Lewis puts on a show, takes second in dunk contest
Scottie Lewis took second at the dunk contest at the POWERADE Jam Fest as part of the McDonald's All-American Game festivities. Bryan Antoine finished runner-up in the three point shooting contest.

McDonald’s: What if Scottie Lewis, Bryan Antoine could enter draft? | USA Today HS
Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine are off to college after the McDonald's All-American Game. But what if they could enter the NBA?

McDonald's All American Game 2019: Roster, TV Schedule and Top Prospects | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights
College basketball has taken center stage in the sports world with March Madness in full flight. The 68 teams that were originally in the field have been narrowed to 16, and the ...

Big East

Men's Basketball Ready For NIT Quarterfinal Showdown With TCU | GoCreighton.com
Creighton is 2-1 all-time against TCU in a series that dates to 1959. The home team has won each of the first three meetings.

Ashton-Langford to leave PC basketball program | providencejournal.com
A day after graduate transfer point guard Luwane Pipkins announced his intention to transfer to PC from UMass, sophomore point guard Makai Ashton-Langford took to Twitter to say he’s decided to transfer to another school.

College Basketball and March Madness

1 NCAA tournament bracket stays perfect into Sweet 16 for first time ever. Here’s how it happened | NCAA.com
We're tracking millions of brackets from the largest online bracket games across the country, including our Bracket Challenge Game, ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, and Sports Illustrated to see when the last perfect bracket busts. Or, you know, if someone gets the first-ever verifiable perfect bracket.

March Madness: Sweet 16 power rankings for 2019 NCAA tournament | NCAA.com
The Sweet 16 power rankings are here. These are based on how the teams are playing through the first weekend, who they beat, how they finished off the game with a mix of how they may still fare over the next week.

2019 NCAA Tournament: NBA Draft prospects who may have made or cost themselves some money during the first weekend | CBSSports.com
Guys like Ja Morant and Dylan Windler could be sliding up draft boards after their performances

Michael Avenatti arrest: Charged with Nike extortion attempt, fraud | SI.com
Michael Avenatti, the former lawyer for Stormy Daniels, has been charged by federal prosecutors with extortion and bank and wire fraud.