‘I don’t like change’: J.J. Quinerly explains her reasoning for remaining at WVU

MORGANTOWN — There have been uncooked feelings again in these days of final March, a sense of loss that J.J. Quinerly couldn’t merely bottle up and retailer away on some shelf.

Her first shot to play within the girls’s NCAA event had simply led to a first-round loss in opposition to Arizona.

Hours later, her head coach — Daybreak Plitzuweit — was leaving to turn out to be the pinnacle coach at Minnesota.

“I’m not going to say an excessive amount of about all of that,” the all-Large 12 guard stated Wednesday throughout a media session, an indication that she’s moved on.

Nonetheless, her sophomore season was spectacular. Quinerly led the workforce in scoring and steals and she or he had established herself as among the finest younger gamers within the Large 12.

It might have been straightforward to enter the switch portal and transfer on, but Quinerly by no means did.

That also didn’t cease the choices from pouring in. It is a new period of NCAA athletics, in spite of everything, stuffed with Title, Picture and Likeness (NIL) cash on the prepared for promising expertise.

“Yeah, I had lots of people texting me and direct messaging me,” Quinerly stated. “Some folks had been even calling my dad.”

Enter new WVU head coach Mark Kellogg, who took over a Mountaineer roster that might doubtlessly return 4 starters from a 19-win workforce in 2022-23, in addition to a rising star in Quinerly.

“There was by no means a dialogue about her leaving, at the least with me,” Kellogg stated. “After all, I used to be re-recruiting her, however that was all of them. I wished to maintain that core group collectively. To me, that was win No. 1 in protecting collectively these six.”

Quinerly admits she made the choice fairly early within the course of to stay at WVU.

“It’s place to be,” Quinerly stated. “I just like the folks right here. I actually don’t like change.

“Me staying right here, it was about being concerned with everybody else who was staying; Messiah (Hunter), Jayla (Hemingway), Kyah (Watson) and everybody else.”

Kellogg did preserve that core group collectively, in addition to signing a previous all-Large 12 participant in guard Lauren Fields for her closing season of eligibility.

He additionally introduced with him from Stephen F. Austin his personal potential star in guard Jordan Harrison.

“He introduced in numerous good gamers,” Quinerly stated. “That was one of many fundamental causes I stayed. He’s coach with thoughts set of what he desires to perform. I stayed with him, which was factor.”

A great factor general, too. WVU did lose three gamers to the portal following Plitzuweit’s departure, none who had beginning expertise or performed greater than 10 minutes per sport.

“It was nothing that we actually talked about,” Quinerly stated. “Everyone was on their very own in making that call. I might hope everyone made the very best selections for themselves.”

It’s a brand new season now, one wherein Quinerly has already earned preseason all-Large 12 honors. Now, it’s as much as her to again that up.

“I believe she’s all in,” Kellogg stated. “She loves being right here. She loves West Virginia and Morgantown.

“She has some legit objectives to go down as one of many biggest gamers at school historical past to play right here. I believe that’s actually vital for her to attain these issues.”

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