2025 Recruiting: - Blanca Quinonez | Page 8 | The Boneyard

2025 Recruiting: Blanca Quinonez

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I very nice spin move in the video. Looking through play-by-play write-up it seems that the majority of her shots/baskets are lay-ups. Any concerns that she won't be able to immediately replicate as a freshman with smaller, more packed (with defenders) paint area in US?

I'm not "bashing" --- I think it's a legitimate question/challenge for her.
I assume you mean when she drives there will be at least one other defender inside? Okay, UCONN’s top 2 players are excellent perimeter players. And Serah projects to have a mid-range game. The point is the opposing team isn’t going to set up their Defense to stop Blanca vs two of the supreme players in WCBB.. In addition, UCONN will also anticipate how teams will defend them regardless of personnel. In addition, one of Blanca’s supposed strengths is that he is supposedly a very good passer. If true, which we suspect it is, UCONN should welcome a packed in Defense. Just hopeful that Blanca can hit her free throws though.

And you had previously mentioned as well that she is scoring against non-top elite college teams? There isn't one h/s player ever that has played in h/s against elite college competition.
 
I assume you mean when she drives there will be at least one other defender inside? Okay, UCONN’s top 2 players are excellent perimeter players. And Serah projects to have a mid-range game. The point is the opposing team isn’t going to set up their Defense to stop Blanca vs two of the supreme players in WCBB.. In addition, UCONN will also anticipate how teams will defend them regardless of personnel. In addition, one of Blanca’s supposed strengths is that he is supposedly a very good passer. If true, which we suspect it is, UCONN should welcome a packed in Defense. Just hopeful that Blanca can hit her free throws though.

And you had previously mentioned as well that she is scoring against non-top elite college teams? There isn't one h/s player ever that has played in h/s against elite college competition.
She has a mid-range game. The question is whether she can extend it further this season, like Edwards worked on during her career at UConn.
 
She has a mid-range game. The question is whether she can extend it further this season, like Edwards worked on during her career at UConn.
Yes, Serah’s midrange game extends out to the elbow, which was more or less the limit of Aaliyah’s game at UConn too. I think Aaliyah drove the lane and the baseline better than Serah. This is something she could develop next fall. Also, most of Serah’s midrange shots are within 10 feet of the rim. Aaliyah stretched her range a bit more by her last two seasons. And of course, Aaliyah ran the floor in transition as well as any big ever has. This is true of Sarah too. And I still remember how well Olivia and Dorka ran the floor. I look forward to Serah improving her transition skills.

The thing is, developing these skills is well within Serah’s capabilities and UConn is the best place to make this sort of progress. The ceiling for her is very high. If Kiki Iriafen could be a top-4 draft pick this year, I suspect Serah can be comparable in next year’s draft, especially after Geno and CD work with her.

And I’ve said it before: I really look forward to seeing a big lineup that runs the floor really well, and Geno could have that with Sarah, Serah and Blanca. A big team that can run in transition is a bit of a unicorn in D1. But Geno might just have one to show us next season.
 
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Yes, Serah’s midrange game extends out to the elbow, which was more or less the limit of Aaliyah’s game at UConn too. I think Aaliyah drove the lane and the baseline better than Serah. This is something she could develop next fall. Also, most of Serah’s midrange shots are within 10 feet of the rim. Aaliyah stretched her range a bit more by her last two seasons. And of course, Aaliyah ran the floor in transition as well as any big ever has. This is true of Sarah too. And I still remember how well Olivia and Dorka ran the floor. I look forward to Serah improving her transition skills.

The thing is, developing these skills is well within Serah’s capabilities and UConn is the best place to make this sort of progress. The ceiling for her is very high. If Kiki Iriafen could be a top-4 draft pick this year, I suspect Serah can be comparable in next year’s draft, especially after Geno and CD work with her.

And I’ve said it before: I really look forward to seeing a big lineup that runs the floor really well, and Geno could have that with Sarah, Serah and Blanca. A big team that can run in transition is a bit of a unicorn in D1. But Geno might just have one to show us next season.
All true, however the post I responded to said "projects to have a mid-range game". That gave me the impression they believed that Serah's range is much shorter, which is far from the truth from what I saw during her high school days and time at Wisconsin.
 
All true, however the post I responded to said "projects to have a mid-range game". That gave me the impression they believed that Serah's range is much shorter, which is far from the truth from what I saw during her high school days and time at Wisconsin.
Don’t worry. I understood what you meant and agree with your take. I was merely expanding on the thought. She’s a likely pro prospect and her time in Storrs could make her a top 5 pick. She’d be up against Betts, of course, who could be #1 or 2, and Beers, Azzi, Miles, and maybe a few others I can’t think of now.

The interesting thing for me is how UConn will boost her draft value. It’s not just the coaches, who are obviously great. It’s also the what the team around her will allow her to showcase to scouts. Playing next to Sarah Azzi and maybe Blanca will allow her to develop and show off her mobility and face up scoring. These are valued in the W and she has them. She’s not just a back to the basket player.
 
Blanca has been raved about for a very long time by people who have seen her and know basketball. She is very talented very quick and knows how to play the game with energy. Her anticipation to see things is great. With all those qualities she still needs to be coachable and is coming to UConn to play for the best with the best. Thats called a learning curve. I would not be surprised if she doesnt start but see's starter minutes. She is really good and talented and needs to learn Genos system.

UConn has a very good nucleus coming back from last seasons NC team. They know how to play together and they know how to execute Genos system. The chemistry is great and I expect everybody coming back to play at a higher level.

I am anticipating Jana and Ice to show improvement and Allie to step up and become the scorer she was in high school

Gandy and Blanca bring the future in with them and that could be off the charts. Could be when they are developed. Height speed athleticism are all qualities I see in them.

UConn is loaded with talent. The loss of Paige who drew alot of attention from defenses allowed Azzi and Sarah more space. Without Paige that space could be in jeopardy with the answer being Serah drawing alot of attention down low.

This coming season will be special led by UConn s. Defense
 
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The loss of Paige who drew alot of attention from defenses allowed Azzi and Sarah more space. Without Paige that space could be in jeopardy with the answer being Serah drawing alot of attention down low.
I’m right there with you, @Tonyc. This season, I couldn’t have named any other team with a starting core comparable to Paige Azzi and Sarah. Not one.

Next season, I can’t think of one with a core comparable to Azzi Sarah and Serah. Add in Blanca, if she lives up to our expectations, that’s an amazing foursome. I hope Blanca shines by February.
 
U19 National Final Tournament


The end-of-season Italian U19 championship kicked off yesterday. The top 8 teams who made it through the qualifying rounds are taking part. Campobasso won its first game yesterday 70-47 against Lupe San Martino. For Blanca: 14:02 - 16 pts - FG 6/10 - 3 pts 2/4 - FT 2/2 - 1 reb - 2 ast. Not surprisingly, the level of the U19 team is well below that of the senior team. I thought the first half was pretty ugly. Blanca was in trouble early on. The full match is attached. I started it when Blanca made a buzzer beater from the center of the court at the end of the first half. You can also follow along with the other link I've attached. Only I must warn you that it will be in Italian. You can scroll down the page and download the FIP STATS application if you want to see all the statistics. You can also download the National Final Brochure. There are photos and roster of all the teams. In this brochure Banca's height is 188 cm or 6'2 if you prefer. There's a summary of yesterday's 4 games. I've translated the part about Campobasso using a software program.


The last game of the first day was also the least balanced of the four: San Martino di Lupari withstood the impact of the Magnolia hosts until halftime, then after the incredible buzzer beater scored by Quinonez at the second quarter's buzzer came Campobasso's decisive acceleration, with the 22-8 third quarter that left no way out for the yellow-and-whites: Magnolia came close to a 30-point margin on several occasions, a good opportunity for coach Diotallevi to expand the rotations for future engagements. For San Martino di Lupari 11 points from Donato, 10 points from Pilatone and 9 for Versuro, for Campobasso 16 from Quinonez, 12 from Trozzola and 10 from Moscarella.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 
U19 National Final Tournament


The end-of-season Italian U19 championship kicked off yesterday. The top 8 teams who made it through the qualifying rounds are taking part. Campobasso won its first game yesterday 70-47 against Lupe San Martino. For Blanca: 14:02 - 16 pts - FG 6/10 - 3 pts 2/4 - FT 2/2 - 1 reb - 2 ast. Not surprisingly, the level of the U19 team is well below that of the senior team. I thought the first half was pretty ugly. Blanca was in trouble early on. The full match is attached. I started it when Blanca made a buzzer beater from the center of the court at the end of the first half. You can also follow along with the other link I've attached. Only I must warn you that it will be in Italian. You can scroll down the page and download the FIP STATS application if you want to see all the statistics. You can also download the National Final Brochure. There are photos and roster of all the teams. In this brochure Banca's height is 188 cm or 6'2 if you prefer. There's a summary of yesterday's 4 games. I've translated the part about Campobasso using a software program.


The last game of the first day was also the least balanced of the four: San Martino di Lupari withstood the impact of the Magnolia hosts until halftime, then after the incredible buzzer beater scored by Quinonez at the second quarter's buzzer came Campobasso's decisive acceleration, with the 22-8 third quarter that left no way out for the yellow-and-whites: Magnolia came close to a 30-point margin on several occasions, a good opportunity for coach Diotallevi to expand the rotations for future engagements. For San Martino di Lupari 11 points from Donato, 10 points from Pilatone and 9 for Versuro, for Campobasso 16 from Quinonez, 12 from Trozzola and 10 from Moscarella.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)


Excellent video. It's closer to court level than others I've seen, which allows you to get a better sense of Blanca's size. She's a big 6'2" and plays big. Also, this U19 game is probably more like what Blanca would look like playing against an American HS team. Her maturity and calm confidence is apparent at all times -- like an adult playing among kids. It's really impressive. She could pretty much score at will in this game. And her 3pt stroke looks better than I originally thought. Much bodes well for next season.

Blanca doesn't play the entire time, though it's clear she's the best player on the floor at all times. I suspect the coach sits for stretches not because she's tired, but because he needs to get the rest of the team playing at a higher level than they will if they rely on Blanca for everything.

One critical observation, and it's not really all that critical. Her defense is 'opportunistic' -- I mean she is capable of great intensity, but also slacks off sometimes when the play isn't near her. This is okay, normal even, but it isn't quite at the level of non-stop intensity we are familiar with from KK and Ash, and especially from Sarah. I look at this positively, since I'm pretty sure someone with this much maturity will figure out what Geno wants and take her intensity up a notch. I have a feeling once she does this, we will all be amazed. Get ready now!

Also, just a side note: the announcers seem to take everything Blanca does as a matter of course. She scores on a post-up move at the beginning of the 3rd and you hear a dead-pan "Due per Quinonez." I think she's impressed these guys so much in person that nothing she does can surprise them at this point.
 
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Very few kids her age come along that, because of her athleticism, quickness, and ambidexterity, can play unscripted and create on the fly like that. This is why Auriemma called her "different".
That’s exactly what I see. On top of all the athleticism, she’s a creator. An improviser. When I first saw her spin move on drives, I worried because if that’s all she’s got it will limit her. That’s what happened to Cotie McMahon. But Blanca has lots of moves. Her spin is just a read/react move, not a settled move. Sarah spun around Iriafen in the elite eight game, and I was like “Where did that come from?” I don’t recall seeing it all season long. But she’s so creative that she can improvise at that level. Blanca looks to be the same way. She may not have the same calm confidence Sarah has, but she’s not far off it.
 
she does have a bit of the Gabby Williams vibe although I don't think she's quite as athletic as Gabby was.....that said I think she may be more advanced offensively than Gabby was coming out of high school........adding her to a line up with Sarah, Azzi, Serah and KK is going to be something to watch....
 
she does have a bit of the Gabby Williams vibe although I don't think she's quite as athletic as Gabby was.....that said I think she may be more advanced offensively than Gabby was coming out of high school........adding her to a line up with Sarah, Azzi, Serah and KK is going to be something to watch....
her offensive game is way more advanced that GW
coming into college
GW was an all world athlete with limited BB skills
as a freshman
her development thru Uconn and professionally
had been remarkable
 
WOW!
Blanca has an athletic build, super athletic, power to the basket, decent from 3. defense above average and a lot to build on!
With 4 months from July to October she'll really improve her weaknesses with our great coaching staff!
She would definitely be top 6 coming out of HS!
Division I better watch out by February!
 
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she does have a bit of the Gabby Williams vibe although I don't think she's quite as athletic as Gabby was.....that said I think she may be more advanced offensively than Gabby was coming out of high school........adding her to a line up with Sarah, Azzi, Serah and KK is going to be something to watch....
I see it too. She chases a play from behind for blocks, she leaps to nab passes -- these are Gabby traits. They're also reminiscent of Maya. And like Sarah, she pokes at a ball held carelessly to create steals and runouts.

I was thinking of another player she reminds me of -- not a superstar, but someone who plays with a similar confidence -- and it occurred to me that she seems a bit like Taylor Woodson, Paige's teammate from Hopkins HS. She was a big 6'0" who also created steals and turnovers, finished really well in transition, and generally had the sort of confidence that encourages teammates. She ended up at Minnesota and her partner in the front court in those days, Nunu Agara, ended up at Stanford. The two of them anchored a substantial post-Paige team.

Sarah and Blanca are both larger and more skilled than Taylor and Nunu, but there's still a similarity to my eye. I've always appreciated the way a confident player boosts the morale of a team, and all four of those kids have this, but Sarah and Blanca especially. They're bigger, stronger, and have immense reservoirs of talent. Blanca has Maya-level quickness, and Sarah has Maya's strength and range of offensive skills.

I can hardly wait to see how Blanca fits herself into the team. Sarah and Paige were starters the moment they showed up in Storrs. It may take Blanca a little bit longer to crack the starting lineup, just as it did for Azzi... [and Dee, by the way]. But I am confident that by the time it matters, the lineup we'll all be gaga over will feature Sara Blanca Azzi and Serah.

There will be awesome depth, of course, and that also provides a bit of confidence to the entire team. Folks focus too much on the idea that kids are frustrated by being lower on the depth chart. But I think on a team in the midst of a title run, it's a relief for many, if not most of them. It means they can take chances when they're on the floor and make a mistake: a missed shot or a turnover or an errant pass or an extra foul won't doom the team. Geno will yell, but their teammates will rally around them.
 
WOW!
Blanca has an athletic build, super athletic, power to the basket, decent from 3. defense above average and a lot to build on!
With 4 months from July to October she'll really improve her weaknesses with our great coaching staff!
She would definitely be top 6 coming out of HS!
Division I better watch out by February!
Top 6? The more I see of her, especially of late, the higher she goes in my estimation. I'm tempted to say she's the top prospect. That's a squishy assessment in these things, I know, since the top 3 or 4 are often interchangeable. But I think I'd rather have Blanca than Jazzy or Chavez... if I had to choose.

I watched the latest video from the Back2Sports guy, this one on Sarah, and he shows some interesting stats comparing Sarah and Joyce. They were #1 and #2 last season, and Joyce was ahead until the last few months. He then compares what each did this season. Joyce had a really good year, absolutely not a disappointment. In any other year, she'd be the obvious NFoY. But her season was not nearly as good as Sarah's. The same goes for the other top recruits from that class -- Swords, Cambridge, Fournier, Smith, Blakes [I ignore the obvious disappointments] -- good seasons, but not comparable to Sarah. And beyond the numbers, Sarah played an immense role in this title run. No other freshman in the country was so instrumental on a historically great team. None of them wouldn't have simply been rotation players on UConn at best, and probably further down the bench than KK and Ash. I except Joyce from this judgment since she actually might have started next to Sarah.

I mention all this merely to indicate how highly I think of Blanca. She will start, maybe not immediately, but soon enough, and she will be instrumental in the next title run. Jazzy and Chavez will probably start as well on their respective teams. But they won't contribute to a title run the way Blanca is likely to. That's my prediction. Of course, it isn't fair since Blanca will be playing alongside three of the greatest players in D1 and the others won't have that luxury.

With HS recruits, we have comparatively little to go on. Scouting reports, highlight videos, a few full game videos, an Allstar game or two. But we don't have the time or the luxury to see many [if any] games in person. So we're guessing and reading tea leaves, and it's not surprising how often we're wrong. With that as a caveat, I have a very strong feeling about Blanca. She may not have a freshman season of Paige or Sarah-like proportions, but I have a feeling she'll shine and 4 years from now we'll be looking back and thinking, "What an amazing run she had!"



Edited to add: Here's a link to the Back2Sports guy's video on Sarah. It's one of his best.

 
her offensive game is way more advanced that GW
coming into college
GW was an all world athlete with limited BB skills
as a freshman
her development thru Uconn and professionally
had been remarkable

Williams missed 2 years of high school recovering from ACL's.
 
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Blanca's season is over.
 

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