LAS VEGAS — After spending just three sweltering days in Tucson last month, five-star New Jersey guard Jahvon Quinerly became a converted desert rat.
That’s probably good news for the Arizona Wildcats.
When Quinerly showed up for his official visit on June 24, the high temperature was 111. The next day it was 108. And he departed town on June 26 in the relative chill of 104.
But — you know the cliché — it was a dry heat.
Right?
“I’m not gonna lie,” Quinerly said after a game in The 8 tournament. “It’s hotter (in high humidity) than it is there.”
As it turns out, weather was the only one of several potential red flags that threatened to trip up Quinerly’s visit to Arizona. Not only was it crazy hot, but the timing of his late June visit meant few folks were milling around campus and nobody was inside of McKale Center.
He couldn’t see thousands of red-clad fans strolling outside the arena on a 70-degree January afternoon, nor see all 14,655 seats filled inside.
He liked it anyway.
“The arena was probably my favorite part,” Quinerly said.
Quinerly said he also enjoyed spending time with the current Wildcats, who had all arrived by late June, saying they kept it real.
“It was great being able to experience the whole atmosphere in Tucson, to connect with Sean Miller and the whole coaching staff,” Quinerly said. “It was great being able to hang out with DeAndre Ayton and the guys and they’re just telling me about Arizona’s style.”
Of course, should Quinerly pick Arizona over schools such as Villanova, Kansas and UCLA, Ayton will be off to the NBA by the time he shows up.
And one of the guys coming in with him would be UA commit Brandon Williams — who’s also a point guard.
That’s OK with Quinerly, too.
“The whole coaching staff, their pitch was, ‘We can fit you both in the backcourt,’” Quinerly said. “We both like to play off the ball. We can co-exist.”
Quinerly said he showed he can play off the ball contentedly by doing so frequently with the New Jersey Playaz during a game Wednesday night. He helped the team edge the Houston Hoops in overtime while sharing the ball with two other point guards, including another UA target in New York’s Jalen Carey.
Quinerly also proved he can adjust to a new environment, having joined the Playaz’ Armoni Sexton memorial club after playing with Sports U earlier this summer. He made the jump with longtime club teammate Naz Reid, and the two initially took some time to find rhythm together before the Playaz pulled out the overtime win.
“We started out slow, tried to get a little chemistry,” Carey said. “I feel we all played well together.”
Reid’s presence was most obvious inside. The five-star big man from the class of 2018 was a force underneath the basket and showed considerable playmaking ability, setting up a shot attempt at the end of regulation and then, after it missed, hitting a rebound basket just before time expired.
Reid, who says he has Arizona among the many colleges he is still considering, says he’s enjoying the increased competition of playing in the elite tournament-within-a-tournament at The 8.
“I came out competing,” Reid said. “The level of competition is definitely harder and I love to compete.”
Reid and Quinerly both say they are considering playing together in college, with Arizona one of the possible landing spots, but they’re both also pretty open at this point.
Quinerly said he is planning to take official visits to Kansas and UCLA, and Bruins coach Steve Alford was in attendance Wednesday night along with UA assistant coach Book Richardson and several other high-major coaches.
But no matter what happens next, there’s one date Quinerly appears set on: Oct. 20 in McKale Center.
When the weather will be cooler, and when fans will be packing the place.
That’s also good news for the Wildcats.
“I’ll be back for the red and blue game,” Quinerly said. “You can put that down.”
