There just may be a better chance of someone stealing a basketball away from J.J. Quinerly than wiping away her gigantic smile.
That’s just how good life is right now for WVU’s star guard, as the No. 16 Mountaineers are preparing for the Big 12 tournament.
“The basket just seems so wide right about now,” she said. “I’m feeling good.”
That’s pretty obvious.
In the last two games of the regular season, Quinerly scored a total of 69 points. She tied a program record with 38 points in one game.
In the other, she had 24 of her 31 points by halftime, and then added to that game by grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
“She had seven assists and seven rebounds,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg began. “As much as I was happy for the 31 points, I think it was those other two stat lines that made me just as happy.”
So, everyone is happy at the moment for WVU (23-6, 13-5 Big 12), which earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tourney and a two-round bye.
Fifth-seeded Kansas State will play the winner of today’s BYU-UCF game with the winner of that game advancing to play the Mountaineers at noon Friday.
If there is one city, though, that could put a damper on Quinerly’s spirits, it just may be Kansas City, because the Big 12 tournament doesn’t exactly hold an abundance of good memories for her.
Truthfully, any memories of the Big 12 tourney Quinerly has, she’d probably rather soon forget.
“I think you have to love it, right?” Quinerly said. “It’s a tournament and you get that good competition. It’s win or go home.”
In her first three years with the Mountaineers, it’s mostly been going home that Quinerly has experienced, but even that statement doesn’t quite cover the whole story.
As a sophomore, Quinerly was having herself quite a game against Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals.
Then she twisted her ankle, but decided to keep playing. While noticeably limping most of the game, Quinerly had 18 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals.
She twisted the ankle again and had to finally be helped off the floor by the training staff with 2:25 remaining.
In those final two minutes — with Quinerly on the bench — Oklahoma State pulled off a 62-61 comeback victory, as Terryn Milton hit a driving lay-up at the buzzer for the winning basket.
Last year, WVU and Kansas State were battling to the end. The Wildcats led by three, but WVU had the ball in the final seconds.
Quinerly had already pocketed 27 points in the game, and when her 3-pointer from the corner left her hands, the shot looked good.
It instead rimmed in and out, as K-State moved on with a 65-62 win.
“Despite the past three years of not having very good runs in the tournament, I think this year may be a little special,” Quinerly said. “I hope so.”
Quinerly and the Mountaineers are definitely due for good things to happen. The Mountaineers are 2-3 in the Big 12 tournament since Quinerly arrived at WVU.
She’s averaged 18.8 points, shot 43% from 3-point range, while averaging four rebounds and three steals over those five games, yet WVU has never played past the Big 12 quarterfinals.
This just may be the best version of Quinerly the Big 12 tournament has ever seen, though, the version where she knows her college career is coming to a close.
“I think seniors start to look at things a little differently as their senior year goes and they get to this point where they realize their days are numbered,” Kellogg said. “The games are numbered, I guess. I think our kids know she’s in that proverbial zone, so just let her keep going while she is.”
What does being in that rarified zone that few get to experience mean for Quinerly?
“Honestly, I’m just having fun,” she said. “Everything feels good. I’m smiling on the court. Seeing that ball go in as I’m smiling and having fun and my teammates look like they’re having fun. So, just seeing everybody connecting, it’s just a lot of fun.”
Whether or not that fun leads to a run in Kansas City still remains to be seen.
“It’s my last year and I want to do something special there,” Quinerly said.
