How Jahvon Quinerly’s commitment to Arizona impacts Villanova and Providence

In case you missed the news on Tuesday night, Jahvon Quinerly made his commitment. The five-star point guard out of Hudson Catholic (NJ) chose Arizona over Villanova. Quinerly continues the trend of high-powered recruits under head coach Sean Miller, who has pulled in 13 five-stars since his arrival in Tucson in 2009.

That ‘Nova was in the mix all the way to the bitter end is a positive takeaway. The Wildcats’ brand is obviously trending upward, especially so after their recent run in the Big East. Well, maybe the word “demolition” is more apt. Villanova has won the last four Big East regular season titles. They have lost just nine regular season games against conference foes. They have won the Big East Tournament two times. They have been a No. 1 or 2 seed the last four years in the NCAA Tournament. And, of course, won the whole dang thing in 2016.

The glass half-full approach doesn’t work for some, to be sure. But, recruits are definitely taking notice of Villanova and keeping them in mind. Elite recruits at that (See: Cameron Reddish). What Jay Wright has done the last four years is no joke, and there has been a trickle effect.

Now, with Quinerly out of the mix, where does that leave the Wildcats?

The elephant in the room is that the point guard position is likely to be open after this season. It’s why they chased after a vaunted player of Quinerly’s caliber in the first place. So the need for a new floor general is tangible for all to see. There are, luckily, some good options out there.

For example, Jalen Carey. Carey had recently put ‘Nova in his Top 6, and there’s a thought that if the Wildcats whiffed on Quinerly, they were going to then amp up their pursuit of the Immaculate Conception guard. Well, that theory will be put to work now that Jahvon chose UofA on Tuesday. Several notable high-majors like Syracuse and Kansas are after Carey as well. That hasn’t stopped a fearless staff on The Main Line before and it likely won’t again.

There is also David Duke, a combo guard who’s been gaining plenty of notoriety lately. The Cushing Academy guard is within the Top 50 in his class, Top 5 at his position and Top 2 in Massachusetts.

Which brings us to A.J. Reeves. Reeves, the top player in Massachusetts, committed to Providence earlier this spring. The Friars are another team that is impacted by Quinerly's commitment. This is because they, like Villanova, are chasing after Duke.

Some might consider the Friars the favorite to land him, which only amplifies the situation for ‘Nova. They then will have to get into a recruiting battle within their own conference. That’s a situation they’re certainly no stranger to. It also ramps up the heat in Friartown too. Ed Cooley and his staff will have to push hard to keep one of their top targets in the New England area with ‘Nova possibly breathing down their neck now.