On Blanding: A strong post presence ... improved on her conditioning each off season ... biggest advantage is her size ... played in 29 games as a sophomore off the bench in 2010-11 ... will be relied on to play more than double her minutes to help St. John's provide options in its inside game.
Kim Barnes Arico On Blanding: "Love has really worked hard during the offseason to take the next step in her career at St. John's. We expect her to be a dominant inside presence. Her size gives her an advantage against almost anybody in the country, and she has a great back-to-the-basket game. With Da'Shena's injury and the graduation of Coco Hart, we need Love to be able to score the ball and be a big factor on the boards."
As A Sophomore (2010-11): Shot .489 percent from the field for 55 points ... had 19 blocks, tied for third on the team ... improved from 1.2 ppg to 1.9 ppg ... scored first points of the season on a putback layup against Nicholls State (Nov. 26) ... also added a career-high four rebounds in only three minutes of play vs. the Colonels ... set career-highs in minutes played (19) and blocks (5) in win over Southern Mississippi (Dec. 18) ... scored a career-high six points against UCSB (Dec. 19) and Pittsburgh (Feb. 26) ... ... four blocks in final two minutes at USF (Feb. 16) ... tied career highs with six points and three field goals in just nine minutes of action against Pittsburgh (Feb. 26) ... grabbed two rebounds in just three minutes of action in the NCAA Tournament First Round win over Texas Tech (March 19) ... scored two points and pulled down one board against Stanford (March 21) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
As A Freshman In 2009-10: Averaged 1.2 points and 0.9 rebounds over 17 games played ... scored first-career points with a put-back layup vs. Stony Brook (Nov. 15) ... played season-high 10 minutes vs. Stetson (Dec. 1), scoring four points ... also recorded first block and first steal of her career ... scored two points while matching a season-high 10 minutes vs. Rhode Island (Dec. 13) ... dished out first-career assist against Texas-Arlington (Dec. 19) ... registered season-best two rebounds against UMass (Nov. 18) and Villanova (Feb. 7).
At Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.): Averaged double digits in rebounding entire high school career under head coach Jeff Hammond ... had a breakout senior campaign, averaging a double-double with 20.0 points and 15.0 rebounds ... worked on scoring and increased numbers from 6.0 points per game sophomore year to 15.0 points as a junior.
Personal: Jennifer N. Blanding ... daughter of Freida Raspberry and Jesse Blanding ... has three siblings: Darnell (24), Jessica (23) and Jestina (13) ... played club ball for Exodus NYC ... majoring in criminal justice.
