Lester Quiñones


Lester Quiñones is a Dominican-American college basketball player for the Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference. He attended Saint Benedict's Preparatory School and played a postgraduate season at IMG Academy.

Early life and high school career

Quiñones grew up in Brentwood, New York and started playing basketball in sixth grade. In his first two years of high school, he attended Brentwood High School. As a junior, Quiñones transferred to Upper Room Christian School in Dix Hills, New York and averaged 19.3 points per game. He was named to the 2017 Long Island Basketball honor roll.
For his senior season, Quiñones moved to Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. He joined a nationally ranked basketball program and became teammates with five-star recruit Precious Achiuwa. On January 7, 2018, Quiñones scored a game-high 23 points in a win over Hudson Catholic Regional High School, the number one team in the NJ.com Top 20 poll. He helped his team to a 28–2 record and a top 10 national ranking by MaxPreps. In the summer, Quiñones played for New Heights alongside Achiuwa, averaging 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds on the Under Armour Association circuit.
Entering the 2018–19 season, he transferred to IMG Academy, a prep school in Bradenton, Florida with a successful basketball program, joining the postgraduate team. Quiñones averaged 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists per game, shooting 38 percent on three-pointers.

Recruiting

Quiñones finished his high school and postgraduate career as a consensus four-star recruit. On May 10, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway. He had also strongly considered playing for Indiana.

College career

With James Wiseman sitting out due to eligibility issues, Quiñones had his first double-double on November 16, 2019, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 102–56 win over Alcorn State. As a result, he was named American Athletic Conference freshman of the week on November 18. Quiñones broke his right hand during a November 23 game against Ole Miss and missed three weeks. At the conclusion of the regular season, Quiñones was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team.

National team career

Quiñones is Dominican American and plays for the Dominican Republic national team. He joined the under-18 team at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario. In six games, Quiñones averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, leading his team to sixth place. His best performance came in a loss to Puerto Rico, in which he recorded 31 points and seven three-pointers.

Career statistics

College