The Bond Between Rylan Griffen and Jahvon Quinerly

One is a seasoned veteran, the other a true freshman, but the two guards have grown close during Alabama basketball's historic season.

In college basketball, a team has players of different shapes, sizes, backgrounds and ages. 

Not many other places are home to such a unique ecosystem, where one player could be fresh off of a high school court, while another could have spent four to five years (or more) playing college hoops.

While the occurrence isn't unordinary, it is not guaranteed that something will come of those two players being on the same team. In most cases, the two players just do their jobs and go about their day, but for some, the setting serves as an opportunity for a bond to be formed, and that's what happened at Alabama between freshman Rylan Griffen and fifth-year senior Jahvon Quinerly.

"That's probably the freshman I stay on the most," Quinerly said with a smile during a press conference. "I've kinda taken him under my wing the most because we bond really well. That's my guy."

In terms of experience, Griffen and Quinerly couldn't be more different. The former is a true freshman out of the highly-touted class head coach Nate Oats brought to Tuscaloosa, while the latter is in his fifth season of college basketball and his second program, having started his career at Villanova before transferring after his freshman year. But both have similar stories, at least on paper, as to how their college careers began.

Quinerly was a member of the stacked 2018 recruiting class that was headlined by future Duke trio RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish, and a host of other recruits who have gone on to the NBA. As the 29th-ranked prospect according to 247Sports, Quinerly joined Jay Wright at Villanova, the reigning national champion who just lost Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo to the NBA. 

What seemed like a prime opportunity did not come to fruition, however, as Quinerly only averaged 3.2 points in 9.1 minutes for the Wildcats. After deciding to transfer to Alabama, Quinerly had to sit out the 2019-20 season due to being declared ineligible, but since then, he became one of the better and more loved players in Crimson Tide history.

Fast forward to 2022-23, and here comes Griffen, a 4-star prospect and a top-five player in the state of Texas. Griffen definitely plays more than Quinerly did his freshman year, but the 6-foot-5 guard still had issues getting consistent minutes among all the depth, including fellow freshman Jaden Bradley.

"I think other freshmen get a little more hype than Rylan, but he's a fighter," Quinerly said. "You can tell he's a little young and still learning, but he's going to be a player.

"He a player now, but down the line, he's going to be tough, I'm telling you."

Griffen had shared his thoughts on Quinerly later that week, and it was evident that the feelings were mutual.

"He's like a mentor," Griffen said. "We got a lot of chemistry on and off the court. He became one of my closest friends; we laugh with each other, talk to each other every day pretty much. He took me under his wing and wanted me to be great."

The chemistry Griffen alluded to is evident as he and Quinerly usually alternate being the first guard off the bench, either that or they come in together. Griffen is also aware that an older player mentoring a younger player isn't guaranteed, and he voiced his appreciation for Quinerly.

"Most older kids don't really do that with younger kids, but he did that with me" Griffen said. "So I'm really thankful for him, and I know we're both going to do our thing and be great together."

See also: How Alabama Basketball is Handling Success, Battling Complacency

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