Andrea Aquino #02 F Oregon State. Aquino, technically a redshirt sophomore but academically a senior, stands at 6-foot-9, so its a daunting task to say the least for the 6-foot guard. 18-30 31-40 41-50 51-59 60+ Reset Age Filter. or We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. DA IND., DO COM. She is hoping to be cleared by OSU's medical staff to play this season, which is expected to begin in late November. Now Andrea Aquino is starring at New Jersey's Eastside and spurting up the recruiting rankings. advertisement. She began to jump rope. Its going to be tough, she said. No longer aching after long days selling from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. before moving to her next job. But its what she has learned to accept after life delivered a nasty curveball derailing her college career before it even began. Aquino drew the eye of Oregon State coach Scott Rueck, who was immediately enamored with what he saw on the court. Goforth, a 6-1 McDonalds All-American from Fayetteville, Arkansas, is the most heralded of the group and is teeming with potential. Two players who wont make an impact, however, are sophomores Kennedy Brown and Andrea Aquino. Check out Andrea Aquino's high school sports stats, including game updates while playing basketball at Ribet Academy High School. UConn hasn't had a very versatile roster over the last few years but this year's team is built to change that. This was a body that could overpower triple-teams. Andrea Aquino Student-Athlete at Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon, United States 50 followers 49 connections Join to view profile Oregon State Athletics Oregon State. Emily called. She was afraid to say anything on social media; one tweet could alter her life. Possible User Ids . But Rueck has built one of the best and most consistent programs in the Pac-12 Conference if not the country during his 10 years in Corvallis, where his teams have won three conference championships and made six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Shes gives me so much confidence, Mack said. See No. Andrea Aquino did a little research when Oregon State became interested in recruiting her. And let that be who you are. Who is Michael Wayne Rogers? All Rights Reserved. I like the challenge. The Beaver State clocked in 4.2 million people in 2020, marking a jump of 10%. Slowly learning English. she thought. EN. A trainer taped her foot, and she continued to play, wincing in pain. I mean, Mr. Kevin, Mrs. Emily, just gave me hope to keep dreaming. Has three siblings: Gustavo, Adriana and Christian Samuel, Didnt start playing basketball until the age of 15. Teenaged. She felt like she had a home. Save her mother. "That skill set that she has is so uncommon.". Without knowing English, Aquino hopped on a plane to New Jersey on April 14, 2015. She started playing AAU basketball with the New Jersey Sparks, turning heads on the circuit. But sometimes she hesitated offensively. "But he never did anything about it.". How do I help someone through that? built one of the best and most consistent. She didn't know who she could trust. And on top of it all, the Beavers are integrating five new players and three new starters to an overhauled lineup. She was also jogging on a sore ankle, having rolled it a week prior when a girl undercut her during a fall league game. California was one of the greatest thing that happened to me, Aquino said. LSU ties best record in program history, bests MS State. Its unfortunate she never got the chance to show what she was capable of, but its great that shell always be part of Oregon State history. But in a 2020 Bleacher Report article, she described being passed from house-to-house, with no health insurance, sometimes not having enough food to eat and even a surprise visit from a social worker with children protection services. She played with an urgency, laboring through two workouts every Sunday, the first beginning at 6:30 a.m. One workout, she was wheezing after every jump shot. Weve progressed really nicely in a short amount of time. Shes one of the best athletes Ive ever coached, if not the best, Rueck said. All of her hopes and dreams seemed to come crashing down in the blink of an eye. It was hard to explain her situation to college coaches. She and Emily would jam out to a Spanish-language radio station in Emily's Honda Civic on Friday mornings on the way to Ribet. I am a basketball player. People knew her for her sweet, funny, vibrant personality. FILTER BY TEAM (S) Select Team (s) FILTER BY ATHLETE (S) Select Athlete (s) And they saw her height as a good thing. Official Site of the Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12 Network. You have permission to edit this article. Year: 2022 Height: 6-2 Position: SG/W High School: Appleton East (WI) Recruiting Status: Signed with Oregon State [ press release] Notes: transferred from Ashwaubenon HS (WI) before sophomore year Recruiting Summary for Lily Hansford August 2018 offer: Green Bay offers in 2020: June: Illinois Ignore her doubts. Looking for Ronald Batten online? Andrea and Patricia quickly bonded, and uponlearning of her situation, parents Kevin and Emily Morrisoffered to have Aquino move to California for her senior season of high school. Amanda F Martin. Mack led Oregon State in scoring, with 14 points and six rebounds. The Oregon State womens basketball team has two good opportunities this week to strengthen its case for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Everyone called her "Dre.". Oregon State's Andrea Aquino cheers on her teammates. All rights reserved (About Us). When Aquino joined Ribet for fall league ahead of the 2017-18 season, teams in the area wondered where this player, who was draining shot after shot and whose arms nearly touched the net when she stretched them into the air, had come from. Aquino rushed out of her bedroom and found presents waiting for her. Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Through that devastation, Aquino has persevered, growing in many ways and has overcome more adversity than anyone at her age should, all while carving out a legacy within the OSU womens basketball program than wont soon be forgotten. Its hard to be more impressed with the way this team handled the offseason, Rueck said. For so long, she had pretended to have confidence. It was Aquino's first appearance as a Beaver.. Aquino tried to act like things were normal. Called her Giraffe. "She had so many responsibilities," Aquino says. That's why I don't give up.". Because it doesn't do any good to me. And even though I'm not playing right now, it has allowed me to focus on school and trying to see who I am outside basketball. He was a friend of Aquino's mother, but Aquino didn't know him. "Gifts!" One question Rueck did not ask was whether to keep Aquino on scholarship or let her go, clearing up a spot for someone else. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. But health issues have never allowed her to be cleared to play. The Beavers took the lead back out of the break with a layup and plus one from Kennedy Brown. Nuwber reports contain information obtained from federal, state, and local government agencies. Thank you for being you #GoBeavs x #WeAreFamily pic.twitter.com/NXXa0V3QR4. Date. Nilda, who was still living in Caacupe, would panic if she found out her daughter wasn't eating regularly. The Beavers debuted at No. But she didn't have any money. Instead, Aquino found a way to contribute day in and day out to the success of the team, even if it has been at times painful. She didn't even say goodbye, because the family viewed her as someone who wanted to hurt them, which was never Aquino's intention. Somehow, someway, Aquino not only embraced an unimaginable situation, she has endured and overcome it in a way that most cant fathom. But before she arrived on campus she suffered a knee injury. She was 16 years old. . Oregon State built a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and then held off a furious Arizona State rally on Wednesday in a first-round game at the Pa, Oregon State dug a hole it could not climb out of Thursday afternoon against top-seeded Stanford in a second-round game at the Pac-12 Conferen. A pair of sliding teams square off when the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (1-15, 0-1 MEAC) host the Maryland-Eastern Shore Lady Hawks (4-13, 0-3 MEAC) on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET. Years later, Aquino says she still occasionally struggles coming to peace with it. While he certainly was focused on the next days game, it was hard not to think about what the future held. NJ Advance Media also reported that officials from New Jersey's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office were investigating. To have that flipped upside down in such a short period of time was devastating for everyone, he said, to the team and to the program. The weather was getting colder, too, and her coaches told her they'd get her a winter jacket or a coat but never did. While on her visit, Aquino met Kevin and Emily Morris, parents of another prospect, Patricia Morris, a 6'7" center from Duarte, California, who would be signing at OSU. It could be her final appearance in Gill as a member of the program, or she could return again next season. Once, during summer AAU basketball, she twisted her ankle so badly she couldn't walk. Almost like a movie to her. To this day, Aquino and the team have not offered any details. She told her she had no idea that Aquino would be living there for a long period of time. She has been through a crap ton -- doesn't sound like we're ever going to see her play -- which is really unfortunate. Roughly three weeks before the start of the season, the schedule hasnt been finalized yet. Andrea Aquino, the highest rated recruit in OSU history, is among Sunday's honorees. Of course, its about the only normal aspect of the season so far. the woman asked her. She is majoring in business management and plans to someday become a coach, hopefully after returning to the court for OSU and playing professionally in the WNBA. Oregon State has the opportunity to change its season this week at the Pac-12 womens basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Andrea Aquino joined the Beavers as a highly rated recruit in 2018, but due to undisclosed health issues, she has never been able to take the court. It hits you in the face like you're complaining about I got like a C on a test. Andrea Aquino. Aquino tweeted her verbal commitment to Oregon State in March 2017 as the Beavers were preparing for a Sweet 16 game in Stockton, California. Taya Corosdale added a couple more free throws, but then the Bears took the lead back with back to back buckets from Jayda Curry. We love you so much, @andrea_aquino6. I get very excited when its game day because whenever we need them, theyre so loud.. Neither do we. But America didn't glitter the way it had in her head. Another option for Aquino was transferring to another school and see if she could get cleared to play. Aquino remembers the disappointment setting in her mother's face, the way she tried to hide it. Another teacher was quoted in the article, which was the first to reference Aquino by name: "It is evident that Andrea may be the victim of neglect, child exploitation, emotional abuse and child endangerment.". Andrea Aquino has been a vocal supporter on the bench and shares her insights with teammates whenever possible. They're my family here.. Previous season [ edit] Marc A Christman's social profiles . She realized that this was the body God gave her. She wished she could tell her mother, Nilda Aquino, what was happening. ELITE 30 Rankings - 2025 Class. "It's going to be a very emotional day," Aquino said. When first facing the prospect of a career-ending medical condition, there were plenty of questions for Rueck. [citation needed] The first track endorser was distance runner Steve Prefontaine.Prefontaine was the prized pupil of the company's co . That's why I work so hard. Because Aquino and Rueck have been reluctant to talk about her status for most of her career, fans have held onto hope that she might someday play. A body that was celebrated but never cared for. But health issues have never allowed her to be cleared to play. She had a family that took her shopping for clothes that fit her. La primera seccin contiene nueve comunicaciones ledas en las VII Jornada de Estudios Oregon State bounced back from a tough loss to Stanford with a solid win over California Sunday afternoon, taking down the Golden Bears 68-59 in their last home game of the season. The Dominican woman, concerned for her own children's safety and sensing that Aquino's stay could be illegal, called Aquino's mother to discuss the possibility of sending Aquino back to Paraguay. She'd think of her baking breadthe way she'd knead the dough, rolling it onto her table, then folding it into figure-eight twists to bake. She wants us to win as much as we want to win, and she has a fire in her, and I think she's just like the fuel that we need on our team. I thought that was just the process.". The man, whom Aquino does not feel comfortable naming, promised her that if she came to America with him, he would get her a college basketball scholarship at a university like Rutgers. What made the situation bearable was that Aquino felt accepted on the court. Or you sprained your ankle, something trivial. She became close with the teammates she was living with, but they were struggling to adapt, too. Aquino, studying business administration, may one day put those skills to work back home in Paraguay. There is the possibility of a Sunday surprise, though Rueck is being coy. She's written for the Orange County Register, espnW.com, SI.com and Slam. Ive never been scared of new, whether its a transfer or a first-year player, Rueck said. Bleacher Report article on Oregon State's Andrea Aquino. In Andreas case, shes done the opposite, Rueck said. She rushed to the bathroom to calm down. ELITE 60 Rankings - 2024 Class. Shes been a productive member who gives every day shes speaking straight into peoples souls.. #GoBeavs #TheBennys #IFYKYK https://t.co/J1AJwS2eBV. 2 seed at the Fort . It is certainly not the role Aquino envisioned when she verbally committed in March 2017, Aquino never really considered playing the game of basketball until a chance encounter on the streets of her native Caacupe, Paraguay. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Students at OSU often ask Aquino: "How can you be so confident, being that tall?" She felt homesick at first, living in Asuncion. She had her own bathroom, but it didn't have a shower. Once, kids asked her for her autograph and a picture. Class. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. It was the first of many lies Aquino was fed as she was eventually left in the care of Eastside's coaches, who didn't take care of her. Shes as much a part of the team as any starter. She didn't know what kind of medical care she could get for it without insurance. See No. Meanwhile, Aquino had her pick of any Division I school she wanted, having grown to her current height of 6'9" and averaged 17.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 7.0 blocks per game as a junior at Eastside. Also, forward Taya Corosdale, who missed all but two games last season due to injury, is back. "It was that great a fit.. The bad news? Aquino was confused; she didn't know she was moving in. She didn't want to discuss it in a recent interview. She hugged them, smiled with them. Not only that, she was thousands of miles from her family. Aquino tried to keep faith while in Paterson, while competing at the highest level in the state. Or she could potentially go into coaching, since she's learned so much from watching the past four years. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). She told Aquino she could live there too. "I was so innocent. And I really think this team has a high ceiling.. Andrea Aquino could easily have been the next great center for the Oregon State women's basketball program. Instead, she cheers onher teammates, celebrating each defensive stop. She calls it being a friend to them whenever they need it. The countrys tallest womens basketball towel waver during games, Aquino constantly looks for ways to pump up teammates. Sep 14, 1968 . The Oregon State campus, normally bustling this time of year, is oddly sleepy as courses have shifted from classrooms to computers. At first, she didn't think the term applied to her situation because she thought trafficking solely meant sexual abuse. 2022-12-30 13:49. 3. Even adults laughed at her. A trainer outside of the high school sometimes bought her Wendy's. She got caught in the short rope a few times, alternating her feet. About three years earlier, Aquino was walking down the street a couple blocks from the home she shared with her mother, sister and two brothers in Caacupe when a man on a motorcycle, named Alfredo Salinas, stopped her. Believed He had to have some higher purpose. She hardly left home during these early teenage years, hoping to avoid stares and rude comments, unless she had to accompany her mom to sell homemade items: pan con queso (bread with cheese), guava jam, perfume and laundry detergent. Aquinos willingness to find the positive in a very negative situation, and to put others before herself, is not lost on those who have been able to call her a teammate. Soon after, Aquino moved to the capital of Paraguay, Asuncin, where she spent about a year learning the sport. Theres one week left in the regular season, and Oregon State will be on the road to close it out. 3. And Jovana Subasic, a 6-5 forward from Washington State, brings size, versatility and Pac-12 experience. City, State. And basketball was a challenge. She sends whatever money she can back home to her mom. I can't even imagine this team without her., Andrea Aquino, left, is so appreciative of what Oregon State has done for her by keeping her on scholarship despite not being able to play. She is one of the most positive people Ive ever met. She learned how much she could endure. "It was a circle of lies," she says. Aquino's lawyer accompanied her to the meeting with Homeland Security in New York. Andrea Kennedy-Smith is a paralegal in the state's Child Welfare Division and president of the SEIU Local 503 arm that represents Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority employees. That goes for Oregon State coach Scott Rueck, too. The Beavers maintained momentum to open the fourth, and extended their lead to 11 points before their scoring cooled off. A jumper from Mack and a layup with a free throw from Corosdale got the Cal lead down to two. Aquino wasn't ready to talk about it. Her mom was two-and-a-half hours away by bus. She didn't speak publicly about Eastside or the investigation as it played outand as her profile grew, rising up the recruiting rankings to No. She felt nervous and dropped her phone, breaking the screen. She didn't play basketball. Paraguay to New Jersey to California? While that could have been a breaking point, it was anything but, Pivec said. She tried not to think of how she ended up here, in Paterson, New Jersey, back in 2015, so far from her home in Caacupe, Paraguay. ", He would've understood and even supported her had Aquino considered transferring. Salinas told Nilda that he had connections with the Paraguayan Basketball Federation, and that Andrea could move to Asuncion, the capital, to play for a club team. They all talked about the risks they took, leaving their families behind. No longer enduring humiliating moments, like the time the two of them knocked on the door of a woman who yelled: "WHAT DO YOU WANT?! She often did that: shrank. Basketball? Andrea Aquino (Caacupe, Paraguay) comes to the Beavers as the No. It is certainly not the role Aquino envisioned when she verbally committed in March 2017 to play for the Beavers. her coach would say, opening the car door to pick her up in the morning before school. El Camino Real's Montana University-bound Eddie Egan's 20 points for the boy's City Section fueled a startling comeback victory over the Southern Section, and Serra's Cheyenne Givens' 18 points staved off a late rally against the City Section at the 20th annual Collision All Star Game presented by Wooter Apparel on April 14 at Harbor College in Wilmington. Despite being overwhelmingly homesick, it was her progress and acceptance on the court that convinced her to stay in the U.S., Aquino told Bleacher Report. With pink lip gloss, dangling silver earrings and matching silver bracelet, she looked beautiful, strong, confident. She is on the mend continuing her rehab but there is no word on her status although she has warmed up with the team before the last four games. The school lists her as a redshirt sophomore. "She's got a game kind of like Elena Delle Donne, to be able to stretch the defense, knock down shots and be able to post up.