IOWA CITY, Iowa — JJ Quinerly has been established as one of the Big 12’s premier players for a long time. Her teammate in the backcourt has been just as critical to West Virginia’s success in their 24-7 season. Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison leads the Mountaineers in steals and assists. Despite being just 5-foot-6, Harrison is also West Virginia’s second-leading rebounder.
“She is a phenomenal defender and she always has been,” said WVU head coach Mark Kellogg. “To have her and JJ out there together is as elite as it gets. She is the point guard. She is the brains behind it. She is the coach on the floor with me. She leads us and our team looks at her to lead us. And she is just a sophomore so she is continuing to grow. This will be her first NCAA Tournament. But I am excited to watch her and I think she has prepared her whole life for this.”
Harrison played for Mark Kellogg last year at Stephen F. Austin so her transition to a power conference was not necessarily a surprise. But the speed in which she leveled up may have been.
“It was just trusting in him. I knew he was a winner. I knew he would win anywhere that he went,” Harrison said. “I just put all my trust in him. West Virginia just turned out to be the perfect spot as well.”
“She had a really, really good freshman year,” Kellogg said. “She really picked up where she left off. I thought she might have a little bit of an adjustment period early. But really, not too bad.”
On a roster that was made up with as many newcomers as veterans, Harrison says the team came together quickly, as evidenced by WVU’s 13-0 start.
“We jelled pretty quick,” Harrison said. “Even the coaches were surprised at how well we did jell together. We love each other and we love playing basketball. That’s all we really needed.”
Quinerly and Harrison are West Virginia’s two leading scorers and they combine to average 33.4 points per game. The duo are also No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big 12 in steals per game by a wide margin.
“I have always wanted to play with a player like that. I trust her,” Harrison said. “She trusts me. We just feed off each other very well.”