Head coach Geno Auriemma and assistant coach Morgan Valley spent part of their September checking out 6-foot-1 wing Blanca Quiñonez in Italy. Just two days into October, Quiñonez announced her commitment to the UConn Women’s Basketball team.
With her Instagram post and a “Go Huskies” caption, Connecticut unofficially added their third recruit to a class that could help with the program’s reload. Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers has expressed that the 2024-25 season will be her last as a Husky. Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin are both exercising their final year of eligibility. Azzi Fudd, who will be 22 next month, could declare for the Women’s National Basketball Association draft in the spring.
Instead of anticipating UConn’s imminent reload, however, it seems more ideal to highlight the significance of this specific commitment.
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The Ecuadorian native’s decision expands the Huskies’ global reach; she will be the first South American player in the program’s history. Quiñonez joins five-star guard Kelis Fisher and four-star post player Gandy Malou-Mamel in the 2025 class. ESPN HoopGurlz has Fisher as the No. 28 recruit in their Class of 2025 rankings while Malou-Mamel is 72nd.
Connecticut could still add one more player to next season’s roster in the near future. For the time being, however, Auriemma has amassed another dynamic and diverse recruiting class.
The 18-year-old should feel at home from the moment she steps onto the Storrs campus. Fellow commit Malou-Mamel (Ireland) and 6-foot-5 center Jana El Alfy (Egypt) both hail from outside the United States.
Early enrollment and an Achilles injury have kept El Alfy on the sidelines since she arrived in 2023. The Egyptian National Team member spent that time watching WNBA draft picks Dorka Juhasz and Aaliyah Edwards thrive as powerful interior forwards.
El Alfy should finally make her long-awaited Huskies’ debut next month. Come next summer, the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup’s All-Second Team center can help both first-year students become acclimated to American college basketball.
Before that happens, however, Quiñonez will continue displaying her potential in Serie A1, Italy’s premiere women’s basketball league. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2.1 assists in 29 league games with Magnolia La Molisana Campobasso during the 2023-24 season. Only three players scored more points per game than she did, and her 2.1 steals a night led the team by a wide margin.
Coaches in the NBA Academy Games two years ago compared Quiñonez’s defense to that of Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings. The 6-foot-3 New Jersey native controlled the transition game; she holds the WNBA’s all-time record with 1,074 career steals and led the association in that category six times. Catchings’ vigor resulted in 12 All-Defensive Team honors and a league-record five Defensive Player of the Year awards in 15 professional seasons.
With that comparison, the South American superstar has a strong shot of breaking Nykesha Sales’ UConn record of 447 steals. All-time assists leader Nika Mühl gradually started pursuing Moriah Jefferson’s former mark when she debuted in 2020. The Croatian native recorded 4+ dimes six times in her rookie campaign and holds five of the Huskies’ top nine single-game bests.
If Quiñonez wants to exceed Sales’ Connecticut numbers, she will have to average around 110 steals a year and three a game. With her tireless defensive intensity and versatile mobility, Campobasso’s longest-tenured player could pull it off.
At the team level, Quiñonez’s swift speed and high-octane energy could mesh well with Big East All-Freshman Team selection KK Arnold. Like the 18-year-old did in Italy last season, Arnold led her team in steals while utilizing her top-notch quickness. Having both defenders on the court at once could result in the opponent, especially those in the Big East Conference, recording a season-high in turnovers.
On top of her velocity, Quiñonez possesses a three-point shot that she will not hesitate to fire. The Huskies’ 10th international player since 2019 buried 29% of her three-point attempts in Serie A1 action and 31.6% the season prior. With time, Quiñonez could be as effective from downtown as Big East Freshman of the Year winners Bueckers and Ashlynn Shade are.
As a wing player, the Ecuadorian senior national team member can become much more than just a Mühl-type three-and-D machine. What Quiñonez can do in the post will allow Auriemma to play her at four of the five positions.
UConn’s latest commit has a profound ability to finish at the rim in several different situations. Put a defender on Quiñonez, and she will still find a way to get a look at the basket. With her stout footwork, the Huskies’ first-ever South American player can also create an open lane and drive to the hoop unprotected.
Quiñonez possesses the skillset, especially as a shot blocker, to play at center if Connecticut needs her to. Bueckers, a two-time Big East Player of the Year, occasionally played that position when the team’s available forwards ran into foul trouble. Magnolia’s leading blocker should only be playing the five, though, if she is the Huskies’ only healthy frontcourt player.
UConn should know what their starting lineup will be early on in the 2025 offseason. It is likely that Quiñonez could be a part of the rotation during her rookie campaign. That being said, however, Auriemma could bring her off the bench first when the Huskies face high-flying offenses.
Specifically, the 2024 Basketball Without Borders camp participant might get extended minutes against programs that struggle with ball control. The Providence Friars, DePaul Blue Demons and Xavier Musketeers are the first teams Connecticut faces that come to mind. With what she can do in transition, Quiñonez can worsen any turnover woes those conference foes, or any opponent, may have.
The Huskies are getting a Griffin-like X-factor in the 6-foot-1 Ecuadorian forward. Quiñonez’s personality will quickly remind fans of Arnold; both are extremely energetic and can produce incredible chemistry with their teammates. Outgoing as she is, UConn’s first-ever South American player is as valuable a two-way talent as the program has ever had.
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