UConn's El Alfy and Quinonez among star international players set to hit the court in March Madness
The women's NCAA Division I subregional in Storrs is loaded with international players who have helped their teams into the NCAA tournament
By JIM FULLERSTORRS, Conn. (AP) — When Geno Auriemma took over the struggling UConn women’s basketball program in the mid-1980s, the rosters were loaded with players from New England and the tri-state area for the first decade.
As the years have passed, Auriemma and his staff have relied more frequently on international players. This season is no different, with Blanca Quinonez and Jana El Alfy two of the most productive reserves for the top-ranked Huskies.
El Alfy, a redshirt sophomore from Cairo, Egypt, averaged 5.3 rebounds in six NCAA Tournament games last season. She welcomed UConn’s latest international product to campus. El Alfy and Quinonez are roommates in addition to being the first two frontcourt options off the bench for UConn as the with a Saturday matchup with UTSA. Iowa State plays Syracuse in the second game.
“It has been fun seeing her grow and become more comfortable in the person she is,” El Alfy said. “We are really close, we are roommates and we get to celebrate a lot of things together. We are both internationals, so we know what it is like being away from home, being able to adjust to (living) here.”
Quinonez, who hails from Milagro, Ecuador, is the third-leading scorer for UConn. Some of her best games came against fellow NCAA Tournament teams.
“I remember the first time I came here, she cooked for me,” Quinonez said. “She is a super great person. She is a great teammate, she is always there for us, so to have that kind of person as a teammate that is always cheering for you is amazing.”
Auriemma said the international players he has coached are usually ready for the challenge and willing to sacrifice being away from home to play for one of the premier programs in the country.
“It has been challenging, you have a lot of stuff to learn about this program, this culture,” said Quinonez, who is averaging 9.9 points in 19.8 minutes per game.
UConn has always had a reach far beyond the Connecticut border. Now, fans in Ecuador and Egypt are checking out the games.
“I think this past year, people have been more aware of women’s basketball, especially back home where it is mostly about men’s soccer,” El Alfy said. “Just being that person that kind of opens up that door for people to be aware of that is huge. I feel very honored to be in that position right now.”
El Alfy and Quinonez are not the only international players set to take the court in the subregional at Gampel Pavilion.
The leading scorer for Syracuse is Uche Izoje, a freshman from Nigeria. Australian guard Sophie Burrows is in her second season as a starter for the Orange. UTSA’s top scorer is senior forward Cheyenne Rowe, a native of Ajax, Ontario.
The game within the game in the first-round matchup between No. 8 seed Iowa State and No. 9 seed Syracuse is the showdown between Iowa State second-team All-American Audi Crooks, who is second among Division I women’s players with an average of 25.5 points per game, and Izoje, who is fourth nationally with 2.65 blocked shots per game.
“When you play somebody who really looks to block shots, you have to be able to play through that contact,” said Crooks, who averaged 26.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in four career NCAA Tournament games. “If you can get a shot blocker in the air, you are going to have a good night so that is the strategy.”
Izoje, who is averaging 17.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over her last 14 games, is ready for the challenge of defending Crooks.
“We will see how it goes,” Izoje said. “Just play free, play my game and don’t worry it and just be me.”
Syracuse will be in the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Dominique Darius, one of four double-digit scorers for the Orange, injured her hand in a win over Cal in the ACC tournament.
Darius leads Syracuse with 106 steals and is the third-leading scorer for Syracuse.
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