Tuscola’s Quinn earns fifth year in NCAA basketball
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In his four years Quinn, a 6-3, 185 pound guard, has played in 133 games, starting in 62. He shot .452 from the field making 411 out of 909, including 70-of-222 (.315) from beyond the three-point line. He is 290 out of 390 (.744) from the free throw line with 305 rebounds (average 2.3), 292 assists (average of 2.2), 106 steals (average of 0.8) and has scored 1,182 points (average of 8.9 per game).
By Mike Monahan
TUSCOLA – The 2025-26 NCAA men’s basketball season, one that saw Tuscola graduate Jalen Quinn play at Drake University, average 19.7 points, 4 rebounds and three assists per game for the 14-20 Bulldogs that finished 6-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Quinn also earned first team all-MVC honors and was tops in the conference in scoring average for coach Eric Hendrson’s team.
After that Quinn entered into the NCAA Portal even though he had used up all four years of eligibility, playing three years at Loyola of Chicago and one year at Drake.
Last Thursday his thinking became reality as an Ohio judge granted a preliminary injunction (a temporary court order issued before or during a trial that either commands or forbids specific actions; which in this case is to forbid the NCAA from taking away Quinn and 14 other NCAA players from a fifth year without a redshirt necessary).
This means that currently the 15 players that filed the lawsuit can play in the 2026-27 season. Three of the 15 players have committed to schools. The players can still transfer despite the transfer portal being closed.
“He is eligible to play currently, “ said Quinn’s coach at Tuscola Justin Bozarth. “Jalen has several colleges reaching out with interest. He entered the transfer portal during the window it was open in April (7-21) anticipating this ruling.”
The new age-based eligibility model states that your five years of eligibility starts when you are a full-time college student or at the beginning of your academic year after your 19th birthday, whichever is first. The eligibility implementation starts this summer. Recruits starting in 2027-28 are age-based only.
The lawsuit says, “NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently, regardless of the athlete’s background before they attend an NCAA school and regardless of the year in which they graduated from high school. For the last four years, 2022 high school grads (which Quinn is) have been competing against older, stronger, and more experienced players allowed five (and even six) seasons of competition due to a COVID-19 ear waiver granted to all athletes graduating high school and enrolling in college between 2017 and 2020.”
Bozarth believes the NCAA will fight this, but added, “The NCAA may have a difficult time getting it overturned as they have not had great success in court.”
In his four years Quinn, a 6-3, 185 pound guard, has played in 133 games, starting in 62. He shot .452 from the field making 411 out of 909, including 70-of-222 (.315) from beyond the three-point line. He is 290 out of 390 (.744) from the free throw line with 305 rebounds (average 2.3), 292 assists (average of 2.2), 106 steals (average of 0.8) and has scored 1,182 points (average of 8.9 per game).
The lawsuit says, “While it is too late for most athletes who completed in the 2025-26 academic year to secure roster spots to compete in the 2026-27 season, plaintiffs all believe they still have opportunities to play in 2026-27.”
The NCAA said under previous rules the eligibility change that student-athletes who used their final season of competition during the 2025-26 season would not be granted additional eligibility.
At Tuscola Quinn helped the Warriors go 87-28 (.757) and two Class 1A regional titles. The program’s all-time leading scorer (as of 2022) with 1,607 career points averaged 24.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 seals per game his senior season when the Warriors reached the Sweet 16, going 28-7. Quinn was a three-time Associated Press all-state selection.