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UConn Women's Basketball: Huskies Forward Named to Early Season Awards List
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- UConn Women's Basketball: Huskies Forward Named to Early Season Awards List
UConn Huskies women's basketball standout Blanca Quinonez didn't play one minute in the preseason, but that hasn't stopped her from getting national recognition.
On Wednesday, Quinonez was named to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List. This came one day after point guard KK Arnold was put on the award watch list at point guard.
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Here's more of what you need to know.
The Blanca Quinonez file
A sophomore from Ecuador, Quinonez took the nation by storm as a freshman, pairing with National Player of the Year Sarah Strong to make up one of the best front courts in the entire nation. In 31 games, Quinonez averaged 10.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
She was named the Big East Rookie of the Year, the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year and earned a spot on the NCAA All-Region Team.
She was an integral part of why the Huskies went 38-1 and advanced to the Final Four, where their only loss came against South Carolina in the national semifinal.
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She was already named to the Big East All-Conference team in this preseason.
So, why isn't she playing?
Shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, we learned that Quinonez was having surgery on her left shoulder. She was expected to miss the entire summer and there was hope that she'd be back for the start of the regular season.
UConn Huskies guard Blanca Quinonez (4) controls the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Malaya Cowles (5) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Well, Quinonez did not play at all in the preseason, and head coach Geno Auriemma indicated that she was progressing despite having a second previously unknown surgery. He called her a "possibility," for the regular season opener, though he expressed frustration at how injuries are handled in modern college athletics. His frustration was not about Quinonez's situation directly, just in general.
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What's next for UConn?
As big a part of the roster as Quinonez is, the Huskies did not need her to get through the preseason, as they went 3-0 without her, beating Syracuse, Texas and Army.
Auriemma's team will open up the regular season on Nov. 2 (Monday) at 5 p.m. ET against Cornell.
Though it's a relatively soft opening for the reigning Big East champions, the Huskies are playing one of the most difficult non-conference schedules we've ever seen, complete with Top-25 powers like South Carolina, LSU and Notre Dame.
It's similar to how the UConn men have built their schedule for the looming season ahead. That also begins on Nov. 2 (9 p.m. ET) against Gardner-Webb.
