Jahvon Quinerly addresses decision to move out of starting lineup

Alabama basketball’s star point guard Jahvon Quinerly made a surprise move to the bench Wednesday night as the Crimson Tide searched for more production. The former five-star recruit described the move as a “mutual decision” with coach Nate Oats.

Quinerly is no stranger to the sixth man role, filling the same role for most of the 2020-21 season when Alabama made a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament. In that season, he came off the bench in each of his final 22 games after starting seven of the first eight contests.

As he and the team went through a skid over the past weeks, losing the last three games and five of the last eight since beating Gonzaga and Houston in back-to-back games, a change was needed. Quinerly and Oats agreed a return to the sixth man role was necessary to kickstart the season.

“Losing three games in a row is tough, so we knew we needed to change something,” said Quinerly. “Obviously, I was successful in that role, so I had no problem coming off the bench.”

Over the past two seasons, Alabama is 16-8 with Jahvon Quinerly in the starting lineup, and 22-5 when he comes off the bench. On Wednesday night, he dropped 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting with three rebounds as the Crimson Tide pulled off a 70-67 home win over No. 13 LSU.

Since transferring to Alabama in 2019 – and sitting out one season due to NCAA rules and regulations – he has averaged 13. 6 points and 3.5 assists per game while helping take the Alabama program to another level.

Alabama turning things around

Alabama’s recent success has centered on a “blue-collar” approach and the analytics of three-point shots and layups. The departure of veteran leader and defensive star Herbert Jones left a gap in Alabama’s armor which must be replaced before March.

Despite the recent run of results, head coach Nate Oats has found positive energy at Alabama’s most recent practices. The return of role-playing forward James Rojas does not offer much offensive boost but has increased the energy level and provided another piece that fits the old mold of success.

“We beat Gonzaga, pretty much on the road, we had Auburn on the ropes,” said Oats, via AL.com’s Mike Rodak. “Had a shot there with a minute to go that would have put us up. We’re right in there. We just got to clean some stuff up. We got to bring an effort that demands a victory every night out for 40.”