Geno Auriemma doesn’t go easy on Blanca Quiñonez. When the freshman first started at UConn, Auriemma joked about her high turnover numbers. After a dominant win over USC, he said, “Blanca can’t go a whole game without doing something that I can show on the film.” Auriemma is treating Quiñonez with the same tough love that has already shaped generations of UConn players who went on to become stars in the WNBA.
But even while he is making sure not to let any mistakes go unnoticed, Auriemma has to acknowledge Quiñonez’s raw talent. Even as a freshman Quiñonez is already a great defender and always plays with an aggressiveness that will only help her grow into one of UConn’s next stars.
After UConn’s dominant win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Auriemma attributed Quiñonez’s aggressiveness to her unique journey to UConn. “She leaves Ecuador as a teenager, goes to Italy, and is playing with kids 30 years old and taking care of herself for the most part. I think you grow up fast, and you have a little bit of a sense of urgency and purpose. You know, she’s not playing just for the fun of it. Even though she has fun playing, I think she has a real purpose,” Auriemma said during his postgame media availability. “She didn’t come here just because moving from Campobasso, Italy, to Storrs was a step up.”
Quiñonez is a versatile young talent
Quiñonez’s mix of size, speed, athleticism, and awareness makes her a uniquely versatile talent, especially defensively. While she still has a lot to learn, her potential has been on full display over her first ten games with the Huskies.
Quiñonez recorded four steals each against USC and Iowa, two of the highest-ranked opponents she has faced. She has also consistently contributed to the team’s offense as one of three players to average double-digit scoring. Quiñonez doesn’t get a ton of shot attempts but converts the ones she gets rather efficiently. She only shot below 40% from the field in two games. She also isn’t afraid to shoot threes, converting 13 of her 23 attempts so far this season.
With the right development, Quiñonez could grow into one of the most interesting players in college basketball sooner rather than later. UConn is the perfect place for her to get that development.
Quiñonez has already taken significant steps this season, going from barely playing against Michigan to emerging as a key contributor against USC and Iowa. Now, she just needs to prove that she can also contribute to a deep NCAA Tournament run. Given the team’s success so far this season, the expectation is that UConn can compete for another title.