Jahvon Quinerly commits to Villanova after decommitting from Arizona amid FBI probe

One of the top high school recruits allegedly involved in the FBI’s corruption investigation into college basketball revealed his commitment on Wednesday morning. Jahvon Quinerly, a five-star point guard out of New Jersey, has picked Villanova.

He made the announcement on Twitter:

Quinerly originally committed to Arizona on Aug. 8. Then the FBI investigation happened. Arizona was one of the schools named in the probe, with assistant coach Book Richardson promptly arrested and eventually fired.

Quinerly was allegedly the recruit that got Arizona into trouble:

How do we know it’s Quinerly? The document reported that Richardson took a total of $20,000 in bribes and gave most of it to a “top point guard” who committed “around three days” before Aug. 11. Quinerly, a five-star point guard, announced on ESPNU on Aug. 8 that he would play for to Arizona.

Quinerly hired a lawyer and decided to reopen his recruitment. Villanova was on him before he committed to Arizona and stayed on him amid the allegations.

He’s rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 26 overall player in ESPN’s class of 2018 rankings.

If Quinerly is eligible, Villanova has found a natural replacement for junior point guard Jalen Brunson, should he decide to turn pro after the season.

Quinerly is one of the most talented ball handlers you will ever see coming out of the the high school level. He is known for his ability to break down the opposing defense with quick crossovers while keeping the ball on a string. Check out these mixtape highlights:

Quinerly is a below-the-rim athlete. He’s has quick hands defensively but could struggle to contain bigger, more athletic point guards. Still, this is a five-star talent because of his rare ability to create separation off the dribble and hit teammates with passes. With a developing jump shot and stunning quickness, he projects as a multi-year player who should make a huge impact at the college level.

Here’s what ESPN’s Mike Schmitz wrote about him from USA Basketball camp:

Quinerly has the game that smaller guards need to get by in the NBA, as he constantly keeps defenders leaning with his natural change of speeds, crisp handle and creative passes. Not exactly a jet with the ball, Quinerly can stand to become a more consistent pull-up shooter as he’s not likely to live in the lane or at the free throw line in the NBA. He gets nice rotation when he has time and space and can make spot-ups or pull-ups when the defense goes under, but he is bothered with hard contests.

Quinerly joins a Villanova recruiting class that already includes 6’8 forward Cole Swider (No. 34 in ESPN’s class of 2018 rankings) and 6’5 wing Brandon Slater, ranked No. 48 in his class by ESPN. If Quinerly is eligible, this will be one of the best recruiting classes of Jay Wright’s career.

Who knows. The NCAA still has not gotten involved in the FBI scandal. Quinerly will have to wait to see if he’s cleared, but his relatively quick decision to commit to ‘Nova rather than drag out his recruitment until the spring or summer could be a good sign.

Quinerly will find himself in the same boat as Nassir Little, another five-star recruit who was widely believed to have chosen Arizona prior to the FBI investigation. Little has since picked North Carolina.

The guess here is that Quinerly will eventually be eligible. If it happens, Villanova will have another star point guard waiting in the wings should Brunson bounce. It’s a risk worth taking for the Wildcats.