Geno Auriemma, like every coach, appreciates players who understand their roles and do what the team needs without questioning every instruction. But Svetlana Abrosimova was not always that kind of player. And years after their now-hilarious UConn exchange over a screen, the legendary coach has finally revealed exactly how he responded to her unforgettable question.
Speaking at the pregame media availability ahead of UConn’s exhibition matchup against Texas, Auriemma reflected on the tendency of most international players to simply execute instructions without pushback, before going back to memory lane with a vivid example of one who was quite the exception. During Svetlana Abrosimova’s time at UConn, Auriemma had called her out for missing a screening assignment, telling her directly that she was supposed to set a screen. And her response was the kind of line that coaches never forget.
“Why should I make screen? I am already open.” Still my favorite line of all time. My response was ‘to get somebody else open, you selfish little sh*t,’” Auriemma recalled.
Svetlana Abrosimova played under Auriemma at UConn for four seasons, from 1997 to 2001. And during her standout career in Storrs, she helped lead the Huskies to an NCAA National Championship in 2000.
She also became the first player in UConn women’s basketball history to earn WBCA/Kodak All-American honors in three consecutive seasons: 1999, 2000, and 2001. She won the conference’s top individual honor as a sophomore in 1999 as well.
After cementing herself as a UConn legend, Abrosimova was then selected seventh overall in the 2001 WNBA Draft and went on to build an eleven-year professional career in the league. Whatever Auriemma’s frustrations with her screening habits, the talent was never in question.
And that particular elite individual ability is something Auriemma now sees echoes of in one of his current players, Blanca Quiñonez. Unlike Abrosimova, however, she is more representative of the international players who readily accept what their coaches ask of them.
Geno Auriemma Compared Blanca Quiñonez to UConn Legend Svetlana Abrosimova
“These guys that we have right now, for the most part, this is what I want you to do, and they’re like, yeah, yeah. You saw Blanca last year.” For Auriemma, Blanca Quiñonez is the kind of player who absorbs instruction and executes without resistance, unlike Svetlana Abrosimova. However, like the former Huskies star, she possesses the talent and confidence to make a significant impact on the court.
Speaking about Quiñonez in an interview last year, Auriemma revealed that he was careful not to rein in what makes her special. He also drew a direct comparison between the young forward and Abrosimova, pointing to similarities in their playing styles and natural abilities.
“But I wouldn’t take anything away from her. I wouldn’t tell her, ‘Stop doing this,’ or ‘Stop doing that.’ Not at all. Just need her to constantly be aware of what’s a good decision, what’s a bad decision. She’s got a lot of Svetlana in her. God bless her.”
That comparison carries real weight when you look at what Quiñonez produced in her freshman year. During the 2025-26 season, she was the Huskies’ most electrifying presence off the bench: high-energy, aggressive, and consistently impactful despite not starting a single game across 31 appearances.
She averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, the latter figure a testament to the kind of intense on-ball pressure she brought every time she stepped on the floor.
And the recognition for this performance followed. Quiñonez swept the conference’s individual sub-awards, claiming Big East Freshman of the Year, Big East Sixth Woman of the Year, All-Big East Second Team, and All-Freshman Team honors. For a player who never started a game, it was a remarkable statement of individual impact.
She is now heading into her sophomore year, but is currently sidelined and rehabilitating from two offseason shoulder surgeries to repair a torn labrum. The Huskies open their regular season on November 2 against Cornell, and Quiñonez is expected to return to a significantly expanded role as the team’s second-leading returning scorer once she is fully cleared. If last year was the announcement, the second chapter could be something considerably bigger.
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