JJ Quinerly is setting herself up for what will hopefully be a fruitful and long-lasting professional career.
The former West Virginia star has had a whirlwind spring, thanks in part to the WNBA season taking place in the summer -- in the past few months, she wrapped up her collegiate career with the Mountaineers in the second-round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, heard her name called in the third round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, and made the opening night roster for the Dallas Wings.
Now, she has officially made her regular season debut in the WNBA, and made it into the official scoring books for the WNBA for the first time in the same contest.
Quinerly mainly played a reserve role for the Wings in their season-opening game against the Minnesota Lynx, but she did manage to earn three minutes of playing time and made the most of every second -- she would finish her short time on the floor with two points and one assist to her name.
Quinerly scored her sole basket in impressive fashion for a rookie and third-round draft pick seeing the floor in her first game. She would take the ball down the floor herself and then use a teammate's screen to drive into the lane before banking a step-back jumper, with the shot heavily contested by Alissa Pili, last year's eighth overall draft selection.
Quinerly will be looking to carve out a role for herself with the Wings and secure a long-term spot in the league, and West Virginia fans know well just what she can do. Quinerly was a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-Big 12 for the Mountaineers, and often reminded fans of WVU's former men's standout Jevon Carter, who has done well at finding a role in the NBA in recent years.