There's nothing more that West Virginia Mountaineers fans love to see than one of their former stars making a name for themselves at the professional level. Which is what made it such a treat to see J.J. Quinerly shine brightly during her rookie season in the WNBA in 2025, before her year was brought to a swift end due to injury.
There were high hopes among WVU women's basketball fans that Quinerly would bounce back from her injury better than ever and continue to make waves at the professional level, but earlier this month, she suffered a setback to those plans. After not finding her way back into the lineup much at all this season following her injury and a coaching change, the Wings waived Quinerly from the roster in June.
J.J. Quinerly will prove the Wings incorrect with her grit
There are few women's basketball players more hard-nosed or more gritty than Quinerly. In a lot of aspects, she calls to mind Jevon Carter as a male counterpart. And similarly to how Carter has established a role in the league despite other factors working against him, Quinerly feels like a player who will wor her way back into the spotlight once she has been gifted an opportunity.
It's understandable why the Wings made the move they did. They have a roster stacked with blue-chip talent fresh out of the WNBA Draft, and several impeccable veterans who have proved their worth over many years. Currently, they're at a different level than Quinerly.
But Quinerly also wasn't supposed to make it this level at all. She fought on the court to play her way into being drafted in the third-round, and then fought and clawed to beat out talent that was evaluated to be at a higher level to earn a roster spot. Then, she dazzled fans with an impressive rookie performance that earned her a starting role. And given another opportunity, it's easy to believe she's able to do that all again.
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