How Jahvon Quinerly, a clear-cut point guard, changes Memphis basketball's dynamic

Memphis basketball has built a top 25-caliber roster more than two months into the offseason.

There are still some important issues to address − specifically, whether DeAndre Williams will return and Mikey Williams will ever arrive. The top-to-bottom equilibrium could still use some fine-tuning. And there's this potential speedbump: none of the new Tigers have played a game at the collegiate level with any of their new teammates.

None of that changes what coach Penny Hardaway has done in short order, though. Especially after securing his most recent acquisition, Alabama transfer Jahvon Quinerly, who committed to the Tigers on Thursday.

There is a real chance Memphis has grabbed three starters − David Jones, Jordan Brown and Quinerly − out of the transfer portal in the last five weeks. And, if the NCAA grants DeAndre Williams another season of eligibility, it would mean Hardaway secured four starters (several, maybe all, with all-conference potential).

Now that Memphis has a clear-cut point guard, here is what Quinerly's addition means for the Tigers.

How Jahvon Quinerly affects the starting lineup

Assembling a roster, in many ways, is like putting together a puzzle − each piece must fit with the next to get the most out of the whole.

Sure, Hardaway could have run with Caleb Mills or Jayhlon Young as the starting point guard and used Quinerly's scholarship on a proven sharpshooter or a big-time backup to Brown, Hardaway's new big man. But neither Mills nor Young, for various reasons, fit as well as Quinerly. Given Mills' skillset, he is much more suited to handle scoring guard duties. And, while Young has the necessary tools to run the offense and be a disruptor on defense, his relative inexperience makes him a prime candidate to be Quinerly's backup.

With Quinerly, a sixth-year senior and SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year, everyone can slide to their natural position and nobody will be pressed into playing roles that don't maximize the Tigers' potential.

What is Memphis basketball's scholarship situation now?

Adding Quinerly means the Tigers have one open scholarship.

Hardaway remains hopeful that DeAndre Williams will claim the spot, but it's up the NCAA as to whether the All-AAC power forward gets a final year of eligibility. If the NCAA rules Williams was robbed of his first season in college due to "misadvisement" − as attorney Don Jackson says he was − each of Memphis' 13 scholarships will be spoken for.

Like most everything else, though, the scholarship situation is subject to change.

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What Jahvon Quinerly's arrival means for Mikey Williams

Quite a bit − but it may not even matter.

Mikey Williams presumably still is facing quite an uphill legal battle. The four-star combo guard was arrested in April on six felony gun charges stemming from a shooting that took place outside his California residence in March. Williams allegedly fired shots at a car (with five people inside) as it drove away from his home.

Then, just last week, his preliminary hearing (which had already been delayed once) was delayed again until Sept. 5 − more than a week after the fall semester begins at Memphis.

How that plays out could determine Williams' future with the Tigers. But it's worth considering the possibility that Quinerly's presence (along with Mills and Young's) might be a factor even if Williams makes it to campus.

If Quinerly and Mills are Day 1 starters − which they would be − it seems unlikely Williams would be interested in coming off the bench.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: What Jahvon Quinerly means for Tigers, Mikey Williams