Bothered by an ailing shoulder throughout her freshman season, Quinonez underwent what UConn said was successful surgery on Monday.
UConn forward Blanca Quinonez underwent surgery on her left shoulder and should be recovered in time for the 2026-27 season, the women’s basketball program said Wednesday in a news release.
Quinonez had the procedure on Monday at UConn Health to repair her torn labrum. She played her entire freshman season in 2025-26 with a shoulder ailment and missed eight games.
Still, she won Big East Freshman of the Year and Sixth Woman of the Year honors.
A native of Ecuador, Quinonez was a key contributor to the UConn team that reached the Final Four in April, losing to South Carolina in the semifinal.
In 31 games off the bench, she averaged 10.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals in 20.4 minutes per game.
In five NCAA Tournament games, Quinonez averaged 22.4 minutes, 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Freshman-season revisited
The 6-foot-2 Quinonez was one of three players to average double figures in scoring for the 2025-26 Huskies, following consensus National Player of the Year Sarah Strong (18.4) and All-American Azzi Fudd (17.3).
Quinonez is going to be counted on to replace the production of Fudd – the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings – and provide a formidable 1-2 punch with Strong.
The injury forced Quinonez to miss the first two games of the season, and she debuted Nov. 12, scoring five points in 14 minutes in an 85-31 win over Loyola Chicago. She followed that with an 18-point performance in a 100-68 victory over Ohio State on Nov. 16.
The first South American to play for the UConn women, Quinonez reached double digits in 18 games and was named conference Freshman of the Week seven times. She missed a six-game stretch from late January to early February due to the shoulder.
The nation was put on notice about Quinonez and her skills in just her fourth college game, when she scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in a 93-41 defeat of Utah. She added five rebounds.
On the season, Quinonez sank 53.6% of her shot attempts and was 39.5% from long distance.
Also on campus
UConn was one of the finalists in the recruitment of 2027 recruit Eve Long of Kanas, but she announced Wednesday that she will be attending Notre Dame instead. UCLA also was in the mix for the 6-foot-3 center/forward.
The 247Sports composite lists her as the No. 2 power forward in the nation, No. 12 overall in the class.
The Huskies do not have any additions yet for the Class of 2027.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
