The Mighty Quinn

Noelle Quinn has always been one to take the road less travelled
““ in this case, an 18-mile jaunt up the 405 Freeway to
Westwood.

When pressed to decide between a Stanford team that won 31 games
last year and a UCLA squad that nearly lost that many, the Southern
California native defiantly decided to lend the home team a
hand.

“It is very important for me to stay close to home,”
said Quinn, one of the top 10 seniors in the nation according to
most recruiting services. “I want to bring the excitement
back to basketball in Los Angeles.”

This attitude is refreshing considering the recent trend among
the area’s elite high school talent. In the past five years,
Southern California prep stars Loree Moore, Kelly Greathouse and
Diana Taurasi have each turned down opportunities to remain in
California and headed east to play collegiately.

Given her overwhelming talent and insatiable desire to win,
Quinn may be capable of surpassing them all.

As a junior last year at Bishop Montgomery High School in
Torrance, the 6-foot Quinn averaged 21.9 points and 11.6 rebounds
per game, leading the Knights to their third consecutive Division
III State Championship. She has been compared to former Laker
superstar Magic Johnson throughout her career because of her height
and her ability to do a little bit of everything on the court.

“It’s flattering to be compared to Magic,”
said Quinn, who played all five positions in high school. “I
like to entertain the crowd when I am on the court. I want to make
an impact right away.”

Senior forward Michelle Greco is in her final year of
eligibility this season and will leave a hole at the small forward
position after she leaves.

“She will probably play either the two or the three in
college,” said Bishop Montgomery head coach Lisa Cooper.
“She keeps her teammates involved in the game but knows how
to take over in the fourth quarter.”

The recruiting process was long and arduous for Quinn, but she
is very happy with how things turned out.

“Initially it was fun, but toward the end it got very
tedious,” Quinn said. “Overall it was a good process. I
am very happy to be a Bruin.”

Quinn’s commitment has already had a positive impact for
the Bruins even though she will not suit up for UCLA until the 2003
season. Just a day after Quinn announced she was coming to
Westwood, Troy High School’s Amanda Livingston announced she
would become a Bruin as well.

According to Cooper, Quinn’s decision could make other
high-schoolers think twice before leaving the area as well.

“I strongly believe she could attract other recruits to
UCLA,” the third-year head coach said. “They know how
she is as a player and a person. The opportunity to play with
someone like her is very special.”

The addition of guards Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis in 2002 and
Quinn’s commitment for the 2003 season could signal a
resurgence for a team that has fallen on hard times since making
the Elite Eight four years ago.

“It’s really exciting to think of what we can
accomplish,” Quinn said. “We are going to build this
program into a winner.”

The multi-talented Quinn also plays volleyball at Bishop
Montgomery and has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her high school
career.

“There are no negative aspects to her game,” said
Cooper. “She is truly one in a million. Players like her
don’t come around too often.”

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *