Nate Oats fires back at people questioning Jahvon Quinerly

Following a 20-point, 5 assist performance in Alabama’s dominant 90-71 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks at home Saturday afternoon, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats sounded off on his star guard Jahvon Quinerly‘s critics that question whether or not he can perform when it matters most.

“What was he, 3-for-3 [from behind the arc] last game? So he’s 7-for-8 the last two games? That’s pretty good shooting,” Oats said. “Everybody’s questioned whether he was a shooter or not after the way he struggled this year. He shot 50 percent from three in SEC games last year. He was, I think, one of four players in the last decade that had done that when he did it last year. He’s a pretty good basketball player.

“He’s coming out of the SEC. To do it for an entire 18-game stretch is big. We know he’s got it. He’s been doing it in practice. I think he just needed to relax.He puts a lot of pressure on himself. He’s a kid that’s been highly-rated for a long time. A McDonald’s All-American, there comes some pressure with what he’s been through.”

Quinerly is Alabama’s second leading scorer with 14.3 points per game, trailing only Jaden Shackelford‘s 17.0. In February alone, Quinerly has had four games where he’s scored at least 19 points — Alabama has gone 3-1 during that stretch with the only loss coming to Auburn 100-81 Feb. 1 on the road. It’s safe to say when Quinerly is on, so is Alabama.

“I think he’s getting back to where his mind’s right. He’s just settling in and playing, playing hard and doing whatever he can to help us win. But he looks a lot better. His shot’s dropping. But the coaching staff’s been seeing this in practice,” Oats said. “This isn’t shocking to us that he goes 7-of-8 in a 2-game stretch. He’s been shooting it well in practice. He’s been shooting it great in workouts. I think he’s just pressing a little bit too much. I was really happy for his parents, too. They’ve been through a lot. They’ve been down here for these last two home games, and he’s played great. Hopefully, we can keep them around. Hopefully, they don’t miss any more games.” 

With two games left in the regular season (vs. Texas A&M, at LSU), Alabama has a chance to end the season 21-10 with a great resume heading into the NCAA Tournament. They’ll battle Texas A&M at home for Senior Night on March 2 at 7 p.m. live on the SEC Network.