Jahvon Quinerly was sitting in the Villanova team hotel when he watched Buffalo pull off the upset.

The Bulls, under Nate Oats’ leadership, took down No. 13 West Virginia 99-94 in overtime on Nov. 9, 2018. That day, Buffalo guard CJ Massinburg scored 43 points, making nine 3-pointers, and grabbing 14 rebounds.

“That always replays in my head when people ask me my first thoughts on Oats,” Quinerly said. “That resonated with me.”

So much so that Quinerly decided to play for him. After his freshman season, Quinerly transferred to Alabama, who had just hired the Buffalo coach. Quinerly had to sit out the first year under the old transfer rules, but he put together a memorable stretch the next three. Together, the guard and Oats won four SEC championships: Two regular season, two tournament. Alabama also made three NCAA Tournament appearances over that stretch, with two trips to the Sweet 16. The SEC’s sixth man of the year in 2023, Quinerly reached 1,149 career points at Alabama.

This week, Quinerly’s had a chance to reflect on those four years with the Crimson Tide because Alabama has made the trip to his home state: New Jersey. The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide will face No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday at the Prudential Center in the Sweet 16, about 18 miles from his hometown of Hackensack, NJ.

“It’s so good to see the Tide coming back home for me,” Quinerly said in a wide-ranging interview with AL.com on Tuesday. “It’s kind of a full-circle moment. Me and Oats were laughing about it today. I wish this happened for me when we went to the Sweet 16. At least one of the times when I was on the team. That would have been really cool.”

The reconciliation

Quinerly stopped by practice Tuesday in Newark. He chopped it up with Oats again. He caught up with staffers he knew such as Clarke Holter, the athletic trainer, and Henry Barrera, the strength and conditioning coach.

“It was refreshing,” Quinerly said. “I would say it was very refreshing.”

Quinerly also attended the SEC Tournament in Nashville as well as the Auburn game at Coleman Coliseum this season.

There doesn’t seem to be any bad blood or lingering effects from how his time with the Crimson Tide ended. After Quinerly originally announced he would play his final season of college basketball for the Crimson Tide in 2023-24, he changed his plans, transferring to Memphis.

“I tell people all the time, even though my last year I finished at another school, Alabama will always be home,” Quinerly said.

Sure, he spent the most time with Alabama, but there’s more to it than that.

“When I came to Alabama, I was still a young man,” Quinerly said. “But now, after playing for him for four years and graduating college and being part of the program, I can say that program helped me turn into a man. That’s something that I will always thank Coach Oats for outside of basketball.”

As Quinerly grew, so did the program. Alabama has now made five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and three straight Sweet 16s as well as a Final Four. The Crimson Tide’s a contender every year for the SEC and in the NCAA Tournament. Quinerly’s proud to have been part of building the foundation for the success.

“It feels good to just see it continue,” Quinerly said. “But I don’t take credit for it. I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking full credit. I played a small role in the success and the culture.”

His achievements in crimson and white say otherwise.

Watching the Final Four run

Alabama went to the Final Four for the first time in program history, the season after Quinerly’s departure. He turned into a fan from afar.

“It was cool,” Quinerly said. “I was upset I wasn’t there, but I was living through Mark (Sears) and the guys I used to play with. I was definitely living through them. It was cool to root the guys on and see them take down North Carolina, GCU, some tough teams. It was cool to see.”

What’s next for Jahvon Quinerly?

Quinerly announced in September 2024 he decided to “let go of the game of basketball.” He remains at a bit of a crossroads as he figures out his next steps.

“I’m kind of weighing my options right now,” Quinerly said. “Honestly, I was talking to Oats today, I was telling him I needed some time to figure myself out. It has been a long time since I was able to spend some time with my family. I’ve really just been using that time to get closer to my family and kind of figure out who I am outside of basketball.”

Quinerly doesn’t seem to be putting limits on himself. He didn’t get into specifics, but noted he could go in “so many different directions” with the passions he has outside of basketball.

“I don’t know myself which direction I’m going to go in yet,” Quinerly said.

Thoughts on the 2024-25 Alabama team

Quinerly said he’s been following the Crimson Tide all season long, watching Alabama’s games and many others across the SEC.

What has stood out about the Crimson Tide?

“I really like the dynamic guard play that we have and the shot makers that we have,” Quinerly said. “Aden (Holloway), Mark, (Chris) Youngblood; I played against Youngblood my last year. I think he’s a really good player.”

Quinerly praised Youngblood’s leadership, too. Quinerly also highlighted Mo Dioubate, who is “one of my favorite players on the team.”

Then Quinerly mentioned center Clifford Omoruyi. He’s familiar with Omoruyi because the big man played high school basketball in New Jersey. A few years ago, Omoruyi stayed in state to play for Rutgers to start his college career.

“He’s a perfect center for us,” Quinerly said. “A lob target. Block shots. I think we have all the pieces to make a really deep run.”

Quinerly will be there to watch Alabama try to extend the run Thursday against BYU. He plans to wear his old Alabama gear. His family is aiming to attend as well.

“I want the fanbase to know how excited I am for the program’s success,” Quinerly said. “Being an alumni, it’s really cool to be around the program and be able to come back and see a lot of the staff and be able to spend time with everybody. It’s a really good feeling.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for Follow him on X and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.