Blanca Quiñonez Commits to UConn

[hoophuskee]

I don’t want to get too far out on my skis here. With the likely departure of Paige after this season, I had wondered who might take over next season’s team as the “BIG DOG?” Certainly, there are lots of potential players who might do so.

Blanca is a young, 18 year old, playing in the Italian pro league at the A1 level. She’s more than holding her own and she’s got the complete package at both ends of the court…….

Just sayin……

What are you sayin?

Azzi, Sarah, and Jana are the 3 Big Dogs next year. You think Blanca as a frosh is going to supplant them? If the quote above gives us a clue that IConnCat provided that Blanca "is working" on her 3pt shot, and she is a G/W, then there is no way she is suplanting Azzi/Sarah/Jana. Maybe if Azzi not healthy and one of te etwo Jana/Sarah not up to the hype, but chances of all 3 imo less than 1%.

 

[hoophuskee]

You have to scroll to see all the highlights... Blanca is Quick,
Athletic, with a good " motor, and plays good defense (I
loved the interception with the high leap for the ball ). The
offense is clear, so the "other things" made me think:
" IN GENO I TRUST ". Welcome Bianca Francheska Quinones
Mina. !!! I think I got the spelling correct!

she looks terrfic. I wouldn't call her a big dog year 1 but terrfic player. As others say - "In Geno I trust."

 

[oldude]

What are you sayin?

Azzi, Sarah, and Jana are the 3 Big Dogs next year. You think Blanca as a frosh is going to supplant them? If the quote above gives us a clue that IConnCat provided that Blanca "is working" on her 3pt shot, and she is a G/W, then there is no way she is suplanting Azzi/Sarah/Jana. Maybe if Azzi not healthy and one of te etwo Jana/Sarah not up to the hype, but chances of all 3 imo less than 1%.

Watch the video of her lighting it up from the arc, quick release, nothing but net. Azzi may move on next year, and we are all keeping our fingers crossed about her health when she hopefully gets back on the court this year.

I have extremely high expectations for both Jana & Sarah. But while both can play inside and out, neither is the type of player to initiate the offense, drop dimes and take over the game imo.

As I said, “I don’t want to get over my skis.” But UConn has had more than a few freshmen step in and run the show through the years: DT, Maya & Paige all come to mind, and Stewie certainly carried the Huskies to a national championship as a freshman.

We’ll all get a chance to see just how good this young lady from Ecuador is in another year. I for one am excited.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’ve now managed to find a few more clips. They’re too short to bother posting here and an easy googling will find them. One thing you start to see is that Blanquita is used to carrying her team, whether it be in HS or FIBA or Italia. This is a kid who knows how to lead and Geno likes these types. Paige, Sarah, Ash, KK, Jana, Allie and Morgan are all excellent examples of this trait. They’re used to their teammates looking to them to lead. I think this is what her coaches at the NBA Academy saw in her when they said it’s not a matter of if she makes it to the WNBA, but of how to get her ready for when she gets there.

 

[Dogstar]

There’s probably room for several BIG DOGS at UConn.

but there's only 1 Alpha

 

[Hayven]

I can hear Jose asking Geno before their game on 11/10. You did it again, I've been talking with Blanca for over a year, then you meet her once and she commits to you after that. What the heck are you promising them?

I was just thinking, we’re becoming the next USF but just on a different competition level

 

[Bone Dog]

I was just thinking, we’re becoming the next USF but just on a different competition level

Nah. Geno was country before country was cool!

 

[Bone Dog]

And in case we need a chart to keep it all straight:

 

[hoophuskee]

Watch the video of her lighting it up from the arc, quick release, nothing but net. Azzi may move on next year, and we are all keeping our fingers crossed about her health when she hopefully gets back on the court this year.

I have extremely high expectations for both Jana & Sarah. But while both can play inside and out, neither is the type of player to initiate the offense, drop dimes and take over the game imo.

As I said, “I don’t want to get over my skis.” But UConn has had more than a few freshmen step in and run the show through the years: DT, Maya & Paige all come to mind, and Stewie certainly carried the Huskies to a national championship as a freshman.

We’ll all get a chance to see just how good this young lady from Ecuador is in another year. I for one am excited.

First off just want to say "In Geno I trust" and Blanca looks very good. And secondly, I'm under the belief that Azzi is coming back. I feel she would be nuts to leave whether title or not. I felt the same way with Paige. Multiple injuries like they had as long as it isn't degenerative they would be nuts to jump to WNBA without a break.

With that said, Highlights tends to show highlights. As a result, ofc I am only going to see the 3's she knocked in. But the post UConncat made from X appears to be from someone who has seen her quite a bit or heard form someone and the comment was "her 3pt shot is in progress/being worked." With Sarah, the comment was "elite. Along with Sarah her vision and passing elite.

Not meant as an argument but a question - why do you say, using Sarah as an example, that she can’t initiate the Offense? And "drop dimes?: That's part of Sarah's strengths as a gifted passer. IMO the reason why she was number 1 in h/s was the one thing among others she can do is initiate offense. And all the players you mentioned got better as sophs so why can't Sarah be the frosh / soph the others were? I guess it comes down to is that you don’t feel she can initate?

 

[Alydar]

What are you sayin?

Azzi, Sarah, and Jana are the 3 Big Dogs next year. You think Blanca as a frosh is going to supplant them? If the quote above gives us a clue that IConnCat provided that Blanca "is working" on her 3pt shot, and she is a G/W, then there is no way she is suplanting Azzi/Sarah/Jana. Maybe if Azzi not healthy and one of te etwo Jana/Sarah not up to the hype, but chances of all 3 imo less than 1%.

And yet you think two freshmen who haven't played even 1 second of D1 will be top dogs based on hype?

 

[Bone Dog]

Instead of comparing Blanca to UConn greats of the past, maybe it makes more sense to contrast her with another player in her own class: Jazzy Davidson. They are both great finishers and excellent ball handlers. Jazzy may have a slight advantage in this area. Blanca looks to be a bit stronger and more athletic and may be simply quicker. This is what her coaches say about her, that her speed is impressive. I expect she'll play against Jazzy a few times in her UConn career, and these will be interesting moments. Also, I have a feeling Geno knew all along that Jazzy wasn't serious about coming to UConn, and this is why he paid so much attention to Blanquita.

 

[hoophuskee]

And yet you think two freshmen who haven't played even 1 second of D1 will be top dogs based on hype?

They won't be frosh next year. But historically if I look at #1/#2 ranked recruits over the years (I'm assuming Lobo and Ralph were not) Sales, Tamika, DT, Strother, Tina, Maya, KML, Stewie, MoJeff, Katie Lou, Walker, Cwill, Paige, and Azzi - I would say 9 of 14 turned out to be dogs their 2nd year. You could argue 8 if excluding MoJeff and Azzi as dogs their soph year though Azzi was injury related. There is no way to account for that for current players.

But less than 8 out of 14 / or 10 out of 14 if looking only at their frosh year. Thus imo there is a much higher chance that Sarah is a dog next year as a Soph vs Blanca as a Frosh. And based on when UCONN gets #1/#2 recruits from H/S, I think using histrorical info - there is a strong chance that Sarah will be a Dog her soph year.

 

[hoophuskee]

Instead of comparing Blanca to UConn greats of the past, maybe it makes more sense to contrast her with another player in her own class: Jazzy Davidson. They are both great finishers and excellent ball handlers. Jazzy may have a slight advantage in this area. Blanca looks to be a bit stronger and more athletic and may be simply quicker. This is what her coaches say about her, that her speed is impressive. I expect she'll play against Jazzy a few times in her UConn career, and these will be interesting moments. Also, I have a feeling Geno knew all along that Jazzy wasn't serious about coming to UConn, and this is why he paid so much attention to Blanquita.

Do you think the bold?

And do you thik they are still after Agot?

We'll see if she visits now. And whether she does or not - in Geno I trust.

 

[Zarathustra]

Blanca is currently playing in a pro league that has players more experienced then Strong and she is holding her own. I'm not putting down Strong, I'm saying that Blanca is not a pushover and may give Strong a good run for playing time.

Playing time: NEXT YEAR! 2025 - 2026. We'll see Bianca in June, 2025 (?) unless she
arrives for First Night on Friday, October 18, 2024. Well Done, Geno!!

 

[Bone Dog]

Do you think the bold?

And do you thik they are still after Agot?

We'll see if she visits now. And whether she does or not - in Geno I trust.

I've watched a few complete games with Jazzy and she is smooth. That's the thing that really strikes you. Not speed. I don't mean she's slow, but speed is not what you first notice about her. By contrast, Blanquita looks very quick. That's what the coaches who worked with her say, and I think it's why a few folks thought she was reminiscent of Maya. Also, I can picture her defending against Juju or Jazzy. She has the right sort of athleticism.

I have no idea about Agot, but she may be redundant now, if there's still a chance of landing Lara.

 

[Puppy Love]

They won't be frosh next year. But historically if I look at #1/#2 ranked recruits over the years (I'm assuming Lobo and Ralph were not) Sales, Tamika, DT, Strother, Tina, Maya, KML, Stewie, MoJeff, Katie Lou, Walker, Cwill, Paige, and Azzi - I would say 9 of 14 turned out to be dogs their 2nd year. You could argue 8 if excluding MoJeff and Azzi as dogs their soph year though Azzi was injury related. There is no way to account for that for

Shea was USA Today national player of the year coming out of high school…she was probably pretty close to the number one recruit.

 

[Alydar]

They won't be frosh next year. But historically if I look at #1/#2 ranked recruits over the years (I'm assuming Lobo and Ralph were not) Sales, Tamika, DT, Strother, Tina, Maya, KML, Stewie, MoJeff, Katie Lou, Walker, Cwill, Paige, and Azzi - I would say 9 of 14 turned out to be dogs their 2nd year. You could argue 8 if excluding MoJeff and Azzi as dogs their soph year though Azzi was injury related. There is no way to account for that for current players.

But less than 8 out of 14 / or 10 out of 14 if looking only at their frosh year. Thus imo there is a much higher chance that Sarah is a dog next year as a Soph vs Blanca as a Frosh. And based on when UCONN gets #1/#2 recruits from H/S, I think using histrorical info - there is a strong chance that Sarah will be a Dog her soph year.

Hey, I think any anointing of Blanca is wildly premature. I have high confidence about Strong and good confidence about El Alfy but it's also premature to call them the top dogs of 2026.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I've watched a few complete games with Jazzy and she is smooth. That's the thing that really strikes you. Not speed. I don't mean she's slow, but speed is not what you first notice about her. By contrast, Blanquita looks very quick. That's what the coaches who worked with her say, and I think it's why a few folks thought she was reminiscent of Maya. Also, I can picture her defending against Juju or Jazzy. She has the right sort of athleticism.

I have no idea about Agot, but she may be redundant now, if there's still a chance of landing Lara.

I agree about Jazzy. The first word to describe her is "smooth."

 

[MilfordHusky]

Blanca's situation sounds familiar. Both Lou Lopez-Senechal and Gandy Malou-Mamel loved basketball and wanted to pursue it at a higher level, so they had to move to another country to seize the opportunity. Welcome, Blanca!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[hoophuskee]

Shea was USA Today national player of the year coming out of high school…she was probably pretty close to the number one recruit.

Ithne the number goes up!

 

[hoophuskee]

Hey, I think any anointing of Blanca is wildly premature. I have high confidence about Strong and good confidence about El Alfy but it's also premature to call them the top dogs of 2026.

It's a prediction just as we try to back up or predictions who might start etc. And to start things off, I was asking why Blanca over Sarah. If Blanca has an elite 3 she appears to be extreme too. But the X Tweet didn't imply elite.

 

[Zarathustra]

For more information about Blanca and her Italian Team consider:
GOOGLE: Magnolia La Molisana Campobasso, Italy. On that
home page click - "magnoliabasket.it" then: "translate"- to English.
Next go the item A1 Women, click, and then click ROSTER.
Blanca is the ninth photo, scroll down, She is #11. The stats listed
there record her teams play since 2020- 2021 ( three years of playing for Blanca
on various "LA MOLISANA MAGNOLIA" teams eg "A1 / youth" 2020 - 2021
"A1/ European Cup" 2021 - 2022 and "A1 Italian cup". 2022 - 2023. In these
three years she played in 23 games 152 points; 30 games 222 points:,
and 25 games 232 points Respectively . I did not look at all the photos or videos but
it was obvious that she was one of the regulars on the team ( see games
played and points by other players ) She is obviously one of the youngest
if not youngest on the team. One player on her team is Que Morrison who
is listed as playing with the University of Georgia ( some time in the past ).
Enjoy. !! GO UNCONN!

 

[Dove]

 

[Boreifs]

The star of her Italian team is Sara Scalia from IU, one of the nation’s best three-point shooters.

 

[MSGRET]

I was just thinking, we’re becoming the next USF but just on a different competition level

I should have given Geno's answer to Jose's question......A CHANCE FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

 

[Tonyc]

The star of her Italian team is Sara Scalia from IU, one of the nation’s best three-point shooters.

Sara Scalia is my cousin Her dad texted me today and he is on his way to Italy to see Sara . He will send me reports on Blanca. He sent me pictures of Sara and Azzi playing together in Saras backyard. He is friends with Paiges dad too

 

[Skeets]

All I can say is, “WOW!” Blanca has some serious game. Geno has international connections that continue to amaze me.

Geno is known and recognized as the GOAT coach worldwide. Might as well use that and skim off the best from everywhere.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

Blanca's gazelle like speed reminds me a lot of Napheesa.. I'll take another Napheesa any day of the week. This is an excellent pick up for Geno and the Huskies. This is a recruit that will not be shocked by the speed of college ball nor it's physicality. If anything, euro basketball is more physical that American basketball, so she might have to work on being less physical on defense. If her one downside is being too physical, that's a downside I'll take any day too. Super happy about this

 

[oldude]

First off just want to say "In Geno I trust" and Blanca looks very good. And secondly, I'm under the belief that Azzi is coming back. I feel she would be nuts to leave whether title or not. I felt the same way with Paige. Multiple injuries like they had as long as it isn't degenerative they would be nuts to jump to WNBA without a break.

With that said, Highlights tends to show highlights. As a result, ofc I am only going to see the 3's she knocked in. But the post UConncat made from X appears to be from someone who has seen her quite a bit or heard form someone and the comment was "her 3pt shot is in progress/being worked." With Sarah, the comment was "elite. Along with Sarah her vision and passing elite.

Not meant as an argument but a question - why do you say, using Sarah as an example, that she can’t initiate the Offense? And "drop dimes?: That's part of Sarah's strengths as a gifted passer. IMO the reason why she was number 1 in h/s was the one thing among others she can do is initiate offense. And all the players you mentioned got better as sophs so why can't Sarah be the frosh / soph the others were? I guess it comes down to is that you don’t feel she can initate?

I could be wrong about Sarah being able to initiate the offense. She has a nice handle for a forward. Hopefully, we’ll all find out that I’m wrong in my assessment.