Big season, bigger goals
Ex-Lake Taylor star wants to build on special year at WVU
West Virginia junior guard JJ Quinerly has had quite a season.
The former Lake Taylor High star was named firstteam All-Big 12 and was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. She also is a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and is on the WBCA Player of the Year watch list.
And earlier this week, she was named Associated Press All-America honorable mention.
“It feels great to achieve all of these accolades, but for me, I still have more I want to do,” said Quinerly, who leads her team with 19.6 points and has 91 steals and 85 assists. “I want to be one of the greatest of all time, so I’m going to keep working and learning from my coaches and anyone else that can help me be great.”
Her next goal is to take West Virginia (24-7) as far as she can as the No. 8 Mountaineers meet No. 9 Princeton (25-4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 5:30 p.m. today in Iowa City, Iowa. ESPN2 will televise the game. A victory over the Tigers would set up a matchup against No. 1 seed Iowa and all-time NCAA Division I scorer Caitlin Clark.
“This is a dream come true for me,” she said. “I’ve wanted to be in March Madness since I was a little kid.”
Quinerly is one of two Hampton Roads players in the NCAA women’s tournament. Former Princess Anne star Aziaha James leads No. 3 seed N.C. State against No. 14 Chattanooga at 2:30 p.m. today on ESPNU. James is the Wolfpack’s top scorer with 15.8 points a game.
Much has always been expected from Quinerly early in her career. And she’s delivered. As a sophomore, she helped lead the Titans to the state championship game. The following year, they won it, but she missed it because of a season-ending knee injury during the postseason.
She worked hard to get back to her old form, but several schools backed off her.
“I was starting to step into my true game and my confidence was amazing,” said Quinerly, a three-time first-team All-Tidewater selection. “Then I tore my ACL and I didn’t know what would happen. Schools stopped recruiting me. I was struggling mentally not being able to play the sport I love. But I was strong, and with the support from everyone around me, came back from that injury better than ever. And I committed to a school that was loyal to me through all of it.”
Her parents, John and Nikosha, remember how their daughter never gave up.
“We’re so proud of her, just to see her tenacity, her resilience, her motivation all through her rehab,” her mother said. “She was just determined to come back.”
Both will be in Iowa to see their daughter play. Her father, who was diagnosed with a kidney disease during his daughter’s ordeal, said all is well now.
“I think that motivated her even more,” he said about his illness. “I’m very excited for her and so proud of her, not just on the court, but also off.”