Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

The NCAA has denied point guard Jahvon Quinerly's waiver request for immediate eligibility after transferring from Villanova to Alabama, per an official statement from Crimson Tide men's basketball head coach Nate Oats.

"We just received notification from the NCAA that our request for Jahvon Quinerly's immediate eligibility has been denied," Oats stated.

"We are disappointed in this decision and will be appealing. He and his family have been through a lot, and despite those challenges, Jahvon has done everything he's been asked since he's been here."

Quinerly also provided his own statement, per Matt Zenitz of AL.com:

According to Zenitz, "the Tide's waiver request is built around the belief Quinerly was in need of a fresh start after—as Oats put it in June—unfairly having to deal with his name being brought up during the FBI's college basketball corruption investigation." 

Zenitz wrote that Quinerly initially committed to Arizona but decided against heading to Tuscon when the FBI arrested his lead recruiter, Emanuel “Book” Richardson.

The ex-Arizona assistant men's hoops coach was caught on tape saying he gave $10,000 to Quinerly's mother, per Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. However, concrete evidence proving the transaction occurred has not been revealed.

Per Adam Zagoria, Richardson told Villanova that he had not actually paid Quinerly or anyone else.

The 5-star recruit out of Hudson Catholic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, averaged 3.2 points per game off the bench last season after losing out on a starting job to Collin Gillespie, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello.

He decided to transfer from Villanova on April 3 before committing to the Crimson Tide two months later, according to Emily Caron of Sports Illustrated.

Alabama went 18-16 overall and 8-10 in SEC play last year, missing out on the NCAA tournament. The Tide and head coach Avery Johnson parted ways after the season.

Oats, who guided the University of Buffalo to three NCAA tournament appearances and two first-round victories in the past four years, now runs the team in his first campaign.

Unless Quinerly wins an appeal, the Crimson Tide will start the season without its new transfer against Penn on Tuesday, November 5.

Jahvon Quinerly announced his decision to transfer from Villanova to Alabama, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.

The point guard confirmed the announcement on his Twitter account:

Quinerly was a 5-star recruit for the Wildcats in the class of 2018 and the No. 29 recruit overall, according to 247Sports, and was expected to make an immediate impact for Villanova. That never materialized, however, with Phil Booth and Collin Gillespie seeing the majority of minutes at guard and Joe Cremo playing a larger role off the bench.

Quinerly, meanwhile, averaged just 3.2 points in 9.1 minutes per game, appearing in 25 of Villanova's 36 contests. After the season, he decided to leave the program.

"We had a very candid meeting and Jahvon has decided to transfer to another program," head coach Jay Wright said on April 3, per Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. "We'll miss Jahvon. He's been an outstanding teammate and was an integral part of our success last season. We wish him the best as he approaches the next step in his basketball career."

Playing time may not have been any more plentiful for Quinerly had he stayed, either, with Gillespie returning and 5-star shooting guard Bryan Antoine—247Sports' No. 16 player in the class of 2019—and 4-star shooting guard Justin Moore incoming.

He decided to find a better opportunity elsewhere, which is big news for Alabama, as he could make an impact next season, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium:

Quinerly said Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats started recruiting him immediately after getting the job in March. The coach had spent the previous four years with Buffalo, leading the squad to a 32-4 record last season while catching the eye of the young guard.

"What they did at Buffalo is special and their offensive numbers and strategy are as good as anyone's," Quinerly said, per Daniels. "They were a top five to 10 team in every offensive category. The ball moves, they get out in transition and they created a culture where guys are super unselfish, and that's something I wanted to be a part of."

The new system could allow the guard to finally live up to his potential.

There's little question he has talent—he's an absolute flash on the court. But if he doesn't improve his defense or perimeter shooting—he shot just 33.7 percent from the field and 25 percent from three—he'll struggle to make an impact at Alabama, much as he did at Villanova.

The University of Alabama didn't waste time finding a new head basketball coach, hiring Nate Oats for the job Wednesday.

Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne announced that Oats is leaving the University at Buffalo to take the head position with Alabama:

Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt announced Oats' resignation from the program in order to join Alabama:

Oats has had a meteoric rise up the college coaching ranks since being hired as an assistant at Buffalo in 2013.

Prior to serving on the Bulls' staff, Oats was a high school math teacher in Michigan who had to sell Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Capri Sun and Pop-Tarts to raise money for his school's basketball program, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

After Bobby Hurley left Buffalo to become Arizona State's head coach in 2015, Oats was promoted to the top position. The 44-year-old went 96-43 and had three NCAA tournament appearances in four seasons with the Bulls.

Alabama parted ways with Avery Johnson on Sunday after four seasons. The Crimson Tide have made two trips to the NCAA tournament since 2006-07.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have fired Avery Johnson after a four-year run as head coach, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

This change of leadership comes after the Crimson Tide went 18-16 this past season while missing out on the NCAA tournament for the third time under Johnson. At the end of the season, the 53-year-old coach let it be known that he was hoping to return for 2019-20.

"I love being the coach here at Alabama. That's my plan," Johnson said following an upset loss to Norfolk State in the first round of the NIT on March 20. "I made that crystal clear to Greg in our meeting. And hopefully they feel the same way. But I'm committed to it. I still have time left, obviously on my contract."

However, Michael Casagrande of AL.com reported one day later that negotiations for a buyout had begun. 

Johnson was given a two-year extension that ran through 2023 back in August 2017. That contract would pay him $2.9 million annually. Casagrande noted Johnson would be owed $8 million if fired before April 15 or $6 million if the dismissal came after that date.

When Johnson's arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2015, the program was in the midst of a three-year NCAA tournament drought. The Crimson Tide hoped bringing in the former NBA coach in would make the team a perennial contender in the SEC.

Instead, it was four years of mediocrity.

Alabama went 75-62 during Johnson's tenure, winning between 18 to 20 games in each season. The team's best performance came during future NBA lottery pick Collin Sexton's lone year on campus, when it went 20-16 in 2017-18 and earned an invitation to the Big Dance. The ninth-seeded Crimson Tide squeaked past Virginia Tech in the opening round before bowing out to top-seeded Villanova, the eventual champs, in the second round.

After Sexton left for the NBA, Alabama was unable to build on its success. And ultimately, that would lead to the end of Johnson's time with the university.

Johnson previously spent approximately seven years on the sidelines in the NBA, parts of four with the Dallas Mavericks and two-plus with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He helped guide the Mavericks to four playoff appearances and coached the team to the NBA Finals in 2006.

He went 254-186 during his NBA coaching career.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and head basketball coach Avery Johnson are discussing a buyout of his contract, according to AL.com's Michael Casagrande.

In 2018-19, Alabama missed the NCAA tournament for the third time in four seasons under Johnson. The Crimson Tide are also a day removed from losing to the Norfolk State Spartans in overtime during the opening round of the 2019 NIT.  

Jeff Goodman of Stadium corroborated Casagrande's report and added that Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm could be on Alabama's shortlist of replacement candidates. Prohm is in his fourth year with the Cyclones, and his team has made three NCAA tournament appearances and won two Big 12 tournament titles.

While Alabama hasn't fallen too far from the level it enjoyed under Johnson's predecessor, Anthony Grant, the program hasn't taken any steps forward, either.

It averaged just under 20 wins and made one NCAA tournament appearance over Grant's six years. During Johnson's reign, the team has averaged 18.8 wins and made a trip to the Big Dance in 2018.

Following Wednesday's loss, Johnson expressed a desire to remain on the sideline for the Crimson Tide.

"I love being the coach here at Alabama," he said, per Casagrande. "That's my plan. I made that crystal clear to [athletic director Greg Byrne] in our meeting. And hopefully they feel the same way. But I'm committed to it. I still have time left, obviously on my contract."

Moving on from Johnson could be a sign of the school's ambition for the basketball team.

Last August, Alabama announced its plans to spend $600 million over 10 years to upgrade its athletic facilities—Coleman Coliseum included.

Football will always be the top priority, but that doesn't prevent the Crimson Tide from getting their basketball team back to a level at which it's consistently earning NCAA tournament berths. Alabama was a March mainstay throughout the 1980s and into the mid-1990s.

Prohm makes sense as a target for the Tide. The 44-year-old maintained a high standard with the Murray State Racers and carried the trend over to the Cyclones. He already has ties to Alabama since he graduated from the school in 1997 with a degree in education.