STORRS, Conn. – Fresh off its 12th national championship, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball program enters the 2025–26 season with a problem most coaches would envy: depth. Head coach Geno Auriemma has 15 scholarship players on the roster, the deepest group the program has seen in more than two decades.
But with depth comes tough decisions, and nowhere is the battle for playing time more intense than at the versatile wing position.
“It’s been really competitive in our workouts because everybody wants to play,” Auriemma said in June. “The problem is not everybody’s going to play as much as they think they’re going to play… it’s going to be determined who’s going to get the most playing time.”
At the center of this roster test are two players with dramatically different stories: fifth-year senior Caroline Ducharme and freshman Blanca Quiñonez, the first South American recruit in program history.
Two Paths to Storrs
Caroline Ducharme, a 6-foot-2 guard, arrived at UConn in 2021 and immediately made her mark. She averaged 9.8 points as a freshman, earning All-BIG EAST honors and showing flashes of future stardom.
Meanwhile, nearly 5,000 miles away, Blanca Quiñonez was carving out her career in Europe. The 6-foot-2 wing from Ecuador competed professionally in Italy’s Serie A1, facing seasoned veterans before most players her age were even preparing for college.
One rose through the NCAA ranks, the other through Europe’s professional system. Both now meet in Storrs.
Setbacks and New Opportunities
Ducharme’s promising trajectory was derailed by persistent head and neck injuries. She played only 27 games combined over the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons and took a medical redshirt to preserve her eligibility.
While Ducharme fought to return, UConn secured Quiñonez, whose international experience expanded the Huskies’ recruiting footprint into South America.
By 2025, UConn had restocked its roster with high-profile additions like forward Serah Williams and guard Kayleigh Heckel, forming a new “Big Three” with Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong. That left Ducharme battling not for a starring role, but for a crucial supporting one.
A Comeback Meets a Newcomer
This summer marked a turning point. After undergoing specialized treatment, Ducharme announced she was finally cleared to play at full strength.
“It’s been good to actually be on the court,” Ducharme said in July. “I didn’t think that I would even get to that point. Who’s to say I can’t continue to get better and continue to get back to who I used to be.”
At UConn’s September open practice, Ducharme not only started in a scrimmage but also showed vocal leadership, directing teammates and making defensive plays.
Quiñonez, meanwhile, drew immediate praise from analysts for her speed, versatility, and professional polish. Some have suggested she could be one of the three most talented players on the roster — an unusual label for a freshman.
What’s at Stake
The competition between Ducharme and Quiñonez represents more than a depth-chart decision. For Ducharme, a healthy senior season would close her career on a storybook note, validating her perseverance after years of injury setbacks.
For Quiñonez, breaking into the rotation would cement her as a foundational piece for the program’s future and potentially open new international recruiting pipelines for UConn.
The decision now rests with Auriemma: lean on the veteran who knows his system, or unleash the prodigy whose unique skillset could elevate the Huskies to another level.
The Bigger Question
The 2025–26 season will test what truly defines value in a dynasty program: is it the resilience of a player who fought her way back, or the untapped potential of a global newcomer?
That answer will not come from preseason speculation, but from the grind of the season — under the bright lights of UConn’s championship defense.
