UConn Has Secret Weapon With Freshman Forward
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Blanca Quiñonez averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game last season while completing high school abroad. Now a member of the UConn Huskies, she’s bringing that same style to the court, and head coach Geno Auriemma is calling it as it is: “an adventure.”
“You know, Blanca, she’s unique. But I did tell her that she leads the free world in turnovers. Ecuador, she’s the leader. Italy, she’s the leader. And now, in the United States, she’s the leader in turnovers,” Geno said after Monday’s exhibition against Boston College. It might be a playful line, but it is rooted in reality.
Quiñonez's Exhibition Performance
In UConn’s exhibition opener, Quiñonez's mixed showing perfectly encapsulated her unpredictable style. In 20 minutes, she scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting, missed all three of her three-point attempts, and went 0-for-0 from the free-throw line.
Meet the Huskies: Blanca Quinonez
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) October 22, 2025
Presented by @CoxComm pic.twitter.com/k7ugha5f8J
Quiñonez had one rebound, dished out four assists, and recorded two steals, but turnovers were an issue, as she led the team with five. There were also personal fouls to her name and a block to her credit.
While the box score looks messy, it barely tells the full story. As Auriemma puts it, “She tries to do a lot of things, and in the beginning, that’s okay because she’s out there trying to impact the game. Obviously, the way they call the game here and the way they call it where she’s been playing are two different things. So, as she gets more acclimated to this, it’ll get better.”
And he’s right. What might look ugly on the stat sheet has more to it. Quiñonez’s athleticism is obvious; she’s taller than her listed height of 6-foot-2, moves like a guard, and can make it past bigger players with a spin move.
Blanca Quiñonez 🇪🇨 Rim Attack! 💪🏾
— Conrado Pascual (@CP3_777) October 13, 2025
Of all the wings on the roster, Blanca has the most potential to be “combo-forward.” She may only be 19, but when she drops that shoulder, it’s gonna take more than one defender to stop her…👀pic.twitter.com/QIW7p9oSjI
Perhaps Auriemma put it best when he said, "She’ll throw some passes that no one else can throw—there were a couple of them today. And then she’ll throw a couple of passes that no one else should ever throw. So, she’s an adventure.”
Her teammates see it too.
What Does KK Arnold Think About Blanca Quiñonez?
For KK Arnold, watching her Italian teammate comes with fascination and admiration.
“She’s great. Honestly, sometimes she doesn't know what we're saying; she'll just laugh, which is something I would do as well if I were in her place. But like I said, she's a sponge. She knows the game really well. Watching her, you can see she has that dog mentality. When she slows things down and really learns the game, she’s dangerous. She asks plenty of questions, but she goes out there and works hard,” said Arnold.
Azzi Fudd on new freshman Blanca Quiñonez: pic.twitter.com/UD2knZVSlE
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) September 29, 2025
Arnold and Fudd’s perspective explains why Quiñonez stands out. Her years in Italy hardened her for physical, high-level competition, but now she’s learning to navigate the faster pace and stricter rules of American college basketball.
Additionally, let's not forget that Quiñonez arrived late and missed summer workouts, which meant she skipped the usual acclimation period. However, she hasn’t slowed down; turnovers might be part of growth. Perhaps that’s precisely why Auriemma is making her play during exhibition games.
The unpredictability of Quiñonez’s game makes Blanca a potential game-changer for UConn. The key now is turning those “adventures” on the court into lessons that consistently tip the balance in UConn’s favor.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.