Jahvon Quinerly, the point guard for the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team, intends to transfer for his final season. Quinerly made the announcement on social media after initially considering returning to Alabama instead of entering the NBA draft like his teammates Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, and Charles Bediako.
In his social media post, Quinerly expressed that part of his journey involves taking risks and following his heart. He acknowledged that sometimes it’s necessary to move on and take risks. However, he also mentioned that it’s a bittersweet moment for him.
This decision adds to the list of players leaving the Alabama program, which has recently faced turmoil. Miller and Clowney were both first-round draft picks after their freshman seasons, while Bediako went undrafted. Additionally, guard Jaden Bradley has transferred to Arizona.
Alabama’s basketball program faced difficulties during the previous season, which ended with a loss to San Diego State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The team also dealt with a tragic incident involving the shooting death of a young woman, resulting in charges against reserve player Darius Miles and another individual. Testimony revealed that Miller and Bradley were present at the scene but were not accused of any crimes.
Quinerly spent three seasons at Alabama after transferring from Villanova and sitting out a year. He averaged 8.7 points and a team-leading 3.6 assists per game last season, earning co-Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors. However, his playing time decreased to a career-low of 21 minutes per game despite Alabama securing the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Quinerly had notable performances in previous seasons, including being named the SEC Tournament MVP in 2021 and receiving all-tournament honors last season. He was also the team’s leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 15 points per game and scoring 22 points in a second-round win over Maryland.
In other SEC basketball news, Kentucky has successfully recruited West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell, who entered the transfer portal following the resignation of Bob Huggins as the men’s basketball coach. Mitchell’s commitment to the Wildcats came just days after he entered the portal, and he visited the Kentucky campus over the weekend.
The signing of Mitchell was officially announced by the school on Monday afternoon, with Kentucky coach John Calipari expressing his excitement on Twitter. Calipari mentioned his prior familiarity with Mitchell, who is from Pittsburgh, and highlighted Mitchell’s leadership, experience, size, and versatility as qualities that make him a great fit for the team.
Mitchell also shared his decision on social media, thanking West Virginia for their support and explaining that he wants to ensure the best opportunity to pursue his dream. He acknowledged the special place West Virginia holds in his heart but expressed his need to bet on himself and consider his future.
For Mitchell, Kentucky will be his fourth school, following stints at UMass for two seasons, then transferring to Texas before arriving at West Virginia. The 6-foot-9 forward started 32 games for the Mountaineers last season, averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. With the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe to the NBA and Aaron Bradshaw facing injury issues, Kentucky sought an experienced frontcourt player who could contribute immediately, and Mitchell fits that role.
Mitchell’s commitment marks another success for Calipari, as guard Antonio Reeves also chose to return to Kentucky instead of entering the transfer portal. Reeves was a solid contributor for the Wildcats last season, averaging 14.4 points. With Mitchell and Reeves joining the lineup, Kentucky adds two proven college producers to complement their top-ranked recruiting class.
Following Huggins’ departure, three West Virginia players entered the transfer portal. Assistant coach Josh Eilert was named interim coach for the upcoming season, and Kerr Kriisa decided to withdraw from the portal and return to West Virginia. Guard Joe Toussaint remains in the portal, with several schools, including Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Alabama, pursuing him. Toussaint is also considering a return to West Virginia. Additionally, reserve forward Mohamed Wague entered the portal on Monday morning.