Arizona basketball notes: On Quinerly's transfer, Hazzard's value, Allen's prestige

Former Arizona commit Jahvon Quinerly will now consider a third option for his college basketball career after Villanova announced Wednesday he would transfer.

A five-star class of 2018 guard out of New Jersey, Quinerly decommitted from UA less than a month after the federal investigation into college basketball was announced in September 2017. The initial federal complaint said then-UA assistant coach Book Richardson accepted $20,000 in bribes to use toward luring Quinerly to play for the Wildcats.

However, Quinerly had only a modest impact at Villanova and indicated unhappiness publicly in December when he posted that Villanova “was my second choice for a reason” on Instagram. He quickly deleted the post, and later apologized for it, saying he had learned a lesson about the power and reach of social media and would “work hard to regain your trust and support.”

Apparently this was on Jahvon Quinerly's Instagram story for a quick moment. Things seem to be going swimmingly there pic.twitter.com/u2BvV0zKhr

— Bobby Reagan (@BarstoolReags) December 12, 2018

But a transfer appeared likely anyway, especially after Quinerly played in only 25 of Villanova’s 36 games, and averaged 3.2 points.

“I knew it would be a transition for him,” Villanova coach Jay Wright told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I didn’t think it would be this difficult of a transition, but it is, and I agree with him. … If he found somewhere where it just fit him and he didn’t have to go in and adjust so much, it would be better for him.”

Arizona is among a number of schools reaching out to potential UC Irvine transfer Max Hazzard, the younger brother of former UA walk-on Jacob Hazzard.

Hazzard told Stockrisers’ Ellie Lieberman that he’s heard from UA, Utah, Oregon State, Boise State, Northwestern, St. John’s TCU, Montana, Gonzaga and Pitt.

Hazzard averaged 12.5 points and shot 38.8 percent from 3-point range while helping the Anteaters reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting against Cal State Fullerton in the final of the Big West Tournament and 19 points while hitting 5 of 14 3s in Irvine's upset of Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

As of now, however, Arizona has no scholarships to offer and has a glut of backcourt players. UA coach Sean Miller has said he planned to add at least one and possibly two players this spring, suggesting he expects early departures.

The Wildcats have also reportedly reached out to grad transfer perimeter players Christian Keeling of Charleston Southern, Rayjon Tucker of Arkansas-Little Rock and Justin Pierce of William and Mary.

Even though he’s been finishing the season in the NBA, former UA guard Kadeem Allen was named to the G League’s five-player all-defensive team Wednesday.

Signed to a two-way contract between the New York Knicks and their G League affiliate in Westchester, New York, Allen has played 18 games for the Knicks while averaging 9.8 points and 2.6 assists. He suffered a concussion on Monday and missed Wednesday’s Knicks-Magic game.

Meanwhile, former UA player and staffer Joseph Blair led the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to the G League’s Western Conference title with a 144-125 win over Santa Cruz on Tuesday. The Vipers will face the Long Island Nets in a best-of-three series for the G League title beginning Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

"Not many times I fall speechless, but this is one," Blair posted on Instagram, along with a photo of him holding the conference trophy.

One of Blair’s players, former Oregon State guard Gary Payton II, joined Allen on the G League all-defensive team.

UA signee Josh Green will play for IMG while opening the Geico Nationals tournament play on Thursday against Sunrise Christian at 9 a.m. Thursday on ESPNU. Florida-based IMG is the No. 3 seed in the eight-team tournament, which will conclude Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN.