It's official - Blanca Quiñonez signed | Page 3 | The Boneyard

It's official - Blanca Quiñonez signed

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Bone Dog said:
I like your thinking. What does that give us as a lineup next year? She seems to play the wing for Campobasso but also crashes the boards and gets steals in the paint.
Maybe it looks like this:
  • KK Azzi Sarah Blanca Jana
  • With Ash Ice and Morgan first three off the bench
  • And Gandy Allie Kelis Q get a chance to earn important minutes
  • If all goes well Caroline and Ayanna become available
However the roster shakes out, it looks like Geno will have a lot of ball handlers again. The new feature will be a big frontcourt, especially if Ayanna can get past her injuries, maybe one of the biggest in D1.
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Is Azzi coming back next season? I'd love it if she does but don't remember her saying she was......
 
HuskyNan said:
Kelis had 28 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds against the #4 ranked high school, Long Island Lutheran (LuHi) last month. Her team plays a national schedule and she’s competed against many of the best players in the country. What “more” is it you’re looking for?

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It seems from some of the professional critics that Kelis gets the short end of praise. Take stock in what Nan has posted then watch some of the tape of Kelis. The girl has definite game, speed, ball handling and great court vision. In popular jargon, the girl got game, I'm stoked about Kelis. A player who will make us proud and bring a smile to your face. Go Huskies, go Kelis.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Don't get me wrong, I think she will be terrific for us, but Amanda was sorta blind sided and treated it like a freebie then ooops!
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True, I saw what you saw.... but wasn't it still a remarkable
display of tenacity and athleticism?? There was a recent 3X3
UNRIVALED game where little Courtney Williams blocked
a shot by Brittany Griner (6'9"). The elevation that Courtney
displayed was a jaw dropper (not to mention the audacity of
the attempt). Blanca appears (IMHO) to be a type of player
that attempts the impossible... and achieves (no foul).
Full disclosure... Griner grabbed the blocked shot, and
scored with a big grin on her face.... GOOD STUFF all around.
We are on the same page, RockyMTblue2: Go HUSKIES, GO BLANCA!
P.S. I just watched that block again. Blanca not only blocked the
shot, but also put Amanda on the floor! Watch the action, everyone,
and see the "in your face" action. TRUE GRIT!!! Can't wait
for Sarah and Blanca to "translate" their basketball skills into
future UCONN WINS!!
 
HuskyNan said:
Kelis had 28 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds against the #4 ranked high school, Long Island Lutheran (LuHi) last month. Her team plays a national schedule and she’s competed against many of the best players in the country. What “more” is it you’re looking for?

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We’re losing Paige and Aubrey at the very least, we need ALOT more. Need to get a lot more athletic up front and on the wings.
 
uconnever said:
We’re losing Paige and Aubrey at the very least, we need ALOT more. Need to get a lot more athletic up front and on the wings.
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Gandy is athletic, whatever else she might or might not be. She’s a big strong 6’6” athlete who runs the court really well.

Blanca looks like an athlete of the Aubrey type with maybe a better outside shot.

Kelis looks like another KK style energizer bunny.

I’m not worried about the athleticism for next season. The core of Sarah Ash KK Azzi [maybe] and a more confident Jana and Ice will be a lot compared to the rest of D1. Add a healthy Ayanna Morgan and a more mature Allie and Q and we have a team that can run with anyone and grapple in the paint with anyone.
 
I can tell you Kelis is athletic quick and a very good ball handler. Gandy is a Big 6'6. Needs experience and will be a work in process however she is quick and athletic. Blanca is gonna be special. She will come along in her first season at UConn. Again next season we will have talent and that talent needs experience and some fine tuning. After that we are on our way.
 
Tonyc said:
I can tell you Kelis is athletic quick and a very good ball handler. Gandy is a Big 6'6. Needs experience and will be a work in process however she is quick and athletic. Blanca is gonna be special. She will come along in her first season at UConn. Again next season we will have talent and that talent needs experience and some fine tuning. After that we are on our way.
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I like the athletes Geno is recruiting. Too many players on the team are good shooters, good ball handlers, good BBIQ, but average (or worse) athleticism. Aubrey and KK are elite athletes (Q is to a degree, but she's an adventure whenever she is on the floor).

It used to be that smart tough players who were good shooters could beat athletes who had trouble scoring, but there are a lot of elite athletes in college basketball now who ALSO can score effectively. I'm excited to see how the "athletes" in this class do next season!
 
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uconnever said:
We’re losing Paige and Aubrey at the very least, we need ALOT more. Need to get a lot more athletic up front and on the wings.
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Like this?

IMG_3603.jpeg
 
EricLA said:
I like the athletes Geno is recruiting. Too many players on the team are good shooters, good ball handlers, good BBIQ, but average (or worse) athleticism. Aubrey and KK are elite athletes (Q is to a degree, but she's an adventure whenever she is on the floor).

It used to be that smart tough players who were good shooters could beat athletes who had trouble scoring, but there are a lot of elite athletes in college basketball now who ALSO can score effectively. I'm excited to see how the "athletes" in this class do next season!
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that's why I like Makeer too......she's long, athletic and aggressive at both ends of the court.......a real match-up nightmare.....
 
Tonyc said:
I can tell you Kelis is athletic quick and a very good ball handler. Gandy is a Big 6'6. Needs experience and will be a work in process however she is quick and athletic. Blanca is gonna be special. She will come along in her first season at UConn. Again next season we will have talent and that talent needs experience and some fine tuning. After that we are on our way.
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I have to admit I have developed an allergy to works in progress. I will root for Gandy and actually believe she will come in more ready than many believe. But it seems to me that there is something about UConn that has lead elite bigs to seek their fortunes elsewhere for quite some time now.
 
I am frequently perplexed by what people mean by athletic on this forum. But I’ll try to figure it out. Somehow folks have got this notion that UConn has mediocre athletes and just has a bunch soft shooters. Perhaps they mean some combination of strength speed and balance, maybe coordination and stamina. Should we also include sharp eyes and strong hands? Leaping ability? Maybe court vision, or should that be excluded? Or do we merely mean players who push and shove and commit hard fouls?

If these are the relevant qualities that make up athleticism, then I think a close look at our roster would reveal that we are stocked with athletes as much as any team in D1.

Does anyone seriously think Ash is not athletic? Or Azzi? Or Sarah? Obviously Paige is super athletic. Ice and Jana, who are as strong as any bigs? KK? Morgan? Should I leave Aubrey Caroline and Ayanna off the list because injuries have eclipsed all or part of their season?

Let’s compare them to a team routinely called athletic: SC. Who exactly are the athletes on SC. Joyce, obviously, and Raven, Feagin, Malaysia, Te’Hina, Bree, Chloe. A quick perusal of this list should make it clear that they are not uniformly more athletic than the Huskies. Would anyone seriously think Chloe is quicker or stronger (ie more athletic) than Sarah Morgan or Aubrey? She’s an excellent scorer and passer, to be sure. But more athletic? Do a similar comparison between Te’Hina or Bree and say Azzi or Ash. In this case the athletic honors would have to got to UConn.

We can go down the two rosters and we’ll find that they are very similar from the point of view of athleticism. Some players on SC are clearly more athletic than the corresponding player on UConn, and some Guskies are clearly more athletic.

I’m not trying to suggest that SC is not a great team. But their greatness is not simply a function of athleticism. It’s also, and maybe mostly a function of their depth of experience playing in Dawn’s system.
 
JoePgh said:
As noted in another thread, Azzi will get a much more lucrative WNBA contract if she waits until 2026 to enter the league.
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The 'stars' coming into WNBA now make $80000 in WNBA pay, combined with x millions in endorsement deals.

Even if rookie WNBA salary triples to $240000, it's still small compared to what they earn off the court.

Despite the enormous growth in past 3 years of WBB, we are still probably 5-10 years away from WNBA salaries getting into the $millions for rookies. To achieve this, TV ratings need to keep climbing, and the WNBA TV deal needs to reflect that. It's TV money that drives $50million annual salaries for LeBron and Steph.

So in short, waiting to enter league because of an improved rookie contract not that important to a player with strong endorsement appeal.

I realize there are still doubters about Azzi's WNBA player value. The doubters, however, are not the sponsors who have been with her since high school. She already earns quite well from her stable of college NIL partners.

I still hope she does come back. A full healthy college season would further prove her as a player before entering W.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
Don't get me wrong, I think she will be terrific for us, but Amanda was sorta blind sided and treated it like a freebie then ooops!
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The confidence and maturity of a teenager to even consider challenging a long time pro is just what the Huskies need. Blanca has the physical skills and the mental toughness to be an important part of the team
 
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packwrap said:
The 'stars' coming into WNBA now make $80000 in WNBA pay, combined with x millions in endorsement deals.

Even if rookie WNBA salary triples to $240000, it's still small compared to what they earn off the court.

Despite the enormous growth in past 3 years of WBB, we are still probably 5-10 years away from WNBA salaries getting into the $millions for rookies. To achieve this, TV ratings need to keep climbing, and the WNBA TV deal needs to reflect that. It's TV money that drives $50million annual salaries for LeBron and Steph.

So in short, waiting to enter league because of an improved rookie contract not that important to a player with strong endorsement appeal.

I realize there are still doubters about Azzi's WNBA player value. The doubters, however, are not the sponsors who have been with her since high school. She already earns quite well from her stable of college NIL partners.

I still hope she does come back. A full healthy college season would further prove her as a player before entering W.
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There are just a handful of WNBA players who are earning big money in endorsement deals: CC, Stewie, Wilson, Ionescu and a few others. Most WNBA players earn the bulk of their income playing overseas during the WNBA offseason, which is not ideal physically from the standpoint of having to play year round. There are also safety and security concerns as Britney Griner’s experience in Russia demonstrated.

The new Unrivaled League is an opportunity to at least allow players to earn income in the US during the WNBA offseason. Hopefully, Unrivaled can survive in the long term.

As for Azzi, the opportunity to wait a year for the new collective bargaining agreement is one factor to consider. A second potential factor may be the opportunity for a pretty substantial NIL haul next year, particularly if she elevates her profile with a series of 30+ pt games through the remainder of the season. With Paige moving on to the pros, Azzi would likely be the likely successor as the top NIL candidate at UConn.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
I have to admit I have developed an allergy to works in progress. I will root for Gandy and actually believe she will come in more ready than many believe. But it seems to me that there is something about UConn that has lead elite bigs to seek their fortunes elsewhere for quite some time now.
Expand ...
If she can provide some lane intimidation, shot blocking and rebounding I'm not too concerned about her offensive output early on.....
 
Bone Dog said:
I am frequently perplexed by what people mean by athletic on this forum. But I’ll try to figure it out. Somehow folks have got this notion that UConn has mediocre athletes and just has a bunch soft shooters. Perhaps they mean some combination of strength speed and balance, maybe coordination and stamina. Should we also include sharp eyes and strong hands? Leaping ability? Maybe court vision, or should that be excluded? Or do we merely mean players who push and shove and commit hard fouls?

If these are the relevant qualities that make up athleticism, then I think a close look at our roster would reveal that we are stocked with athletes as much as any team in D1.

Does anyone seriously think Ash is not athletic? Or Azzi? Or Sarah? Obviously Paige is super athletic. Ice and Jana, who are as strong as any bigs? KK? Morgan? Should I leave Aubrey Caroline and Ayanna off the list because injuries have eclipsed all or part of their season?

Let’s compare them to a team routinely called athletic: SC. Who exactly are the athletes on SC. Joyce, obviously, and Raven, Feagin, Malaysia, Te’Hina, Bree, Chloe. A quick perusal of this list should make it clear that they are not uniformly more athletic than the Huskies. Would anyone seriously think Chloe is quicker or stronger (ie more athletic) than Sarah Morgan or Aubrey? She’s an excellent scorer and passer, to be sure. But more athletic? Do a similar comparison between Te’Hina or Bree and say Azzi or Ash. In this case the athletic honors would have to got to UConn.

We can go down the two rosters and we’ll find that they are very similar from the point of view of athleticism. Some players on SC are clearly more athletic than the corresponding player on UConn, and some Guskies are clearly more athletic.

I’m not trying to suggest that SC is not a great team. But their greatness is not simply a function of athleticism. It’s also, and maybe mostly a function of their depth of experience playing in Dawn’s system.
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I view athleticism as more than basketball skills alone........speed, superior reaction time and quickness to the ball........everything that leads to more offensive opportunities for your team and less for the other team...
 
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oldude said:
I love how she attacks the basket. Can’t wait to see her at UConn.
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Very good Point Shes playing against pros some former America college players She's still a teenager and her opponents are not She is a Big Deal
 
I like he offensive skills and her nose for the rim. But I like even better that she’s so defense minded. Geno teaches players to develop the offense from the defense and Blanca seems tailor-made for his style of play. With her transition skills and her relentless drive, she’s rather like a bigger Aubrey with somewhat better shooting skills. This what we all hope Q could become if she picks up her defense.
 
Per the extra COVID/medical year, I wonder if Blanca and other incoming recruits will entice Paige/Azzi to stay. Next year may be the strongest strength squad since Dorka's/Lou II's departures. I can understand Nika and Aaliyah going to the W, but it's my sense that (one of) Paige's dreams has been winning a championship. You only get one go around. No regrets.

Though Paige and Azzi may feel the tug of time to move forward with their lives...
 
hoy-ah! said:
Per the extra COVID/medical year, I wonder if Blanca and other incoming recruits will entice Paige/Azzi to stay. Next year may be the strongest strength squad since Dorka's/Lou II's departures. I can understand Nika and Aaliyah going to the W, but it's my sense that (one of) Paige's dreams has been winning a championship. You only get one go around. No regrets.

Though Paige and Azzi may feel the tug of time to move forward with their lives...
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I would love to have Paige for another season, or forever, however. Paige is a mature woman who needs to play against a tougher brand of ball. Paige maybe the most composed interview in WCBB, as well as the most mature player in college. I hate it but it looks like it will be her time to leave the nest after this season. She knows it and we may not like it but we know it as well. Azzi, ?
 
@BRS24 Any plans to officially add Azzi and Caroline to the 2025-2026 roster (in your OP) or have you already done this in a different thread that I missed?
 
Centerstream said:
@BRS24 Any plans to officially add Azzi and Caroline to the 2025-2026 roster (in your OP) or have you already done this in a different thread that I missed?
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If I read (and extrapolate from) the roster chart correctly, with Caroline and Azzi Geno is at 14 players. Any portal addition would put him at 15. Does that sound right?
 
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