UConn’s Blanca Quiñonez Made History as the Program’s First South American Player
UConn's Blanca Quiñónez left Ecuador at 13 to play professionally in Italy and became the first South American player in program history. Here's what to know about her family.
Meet UConn Star Blanca Quiñonez's Family Stacy Revere - Getty Images "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links. " Blanca Quiñonez was just 13 years old when she left her family in Ecuador to play club basketball in Italy. Two years later, she was making her professional debut for Magnolia Campobasso in Italy’s Serie A1 professional basketball league.
Now at just age 19, she is a star forward for the UConn Huskies . Born August 3, 2006, in Milagro, Ecuador, Blanca started playing basketball at age five after attending a local summer camp with her twin brother and older brother. While she played in Europe for years, Blanca opened up to college recruitment in April 2024 after watching that year’s Final Four and taking note of the growth of women’s college basketball in the United States.
Interest from top Division I programs followed immediately. In October 2024, she verbally committed to UConn without having visited the campus, becoming the first player from South America in the program’s history . The 6-foot-2 forward, nicknamed “Blanquita” by her family, Blanca remains close to her family even if she can’t be near them geographically.
“I’m very attached to my family—they are a fundamental pillar for me—but I think that when you take a leap like this, you focus on the person you can become in the future,” she told CT Insider . “And I think that’s something that helped me stay firm with this decision and not want to turn back. ” Here, get to know Blanca Quiñonez’s family: Blanca’s father Guillermo Her father is said to have worked long hours to support Blanca and her two brothers, though details about his profession have not been publicly reported.