
By Robert Balajadia
St. Paul Warrior Janniliese Quintanilla is the last four-time high school basketball champion we’ve seen since former Warrior Derin Santos Stinnett did it from 2005-08. Quintanilla has been the Warriors leading scorer from her sophomore season to her senior year and has proven that the bigger the stage the bigger her game gets.
You’d assume that the four-time champion, who’s arguably been the best player every time she’s stepped on the court the past two years, would have a long list of individual accolades to accompany her titles.

Spoiler alert: she doesn’t.
Nothing quite triggers a St. Paul Warriors basketball fan in recent years more than seeing Quintanilla’s name omitted from the title of league MVP. Even though, Quintanilla began to realize the bigger picture early in her young basketball career that league titles are all she’ll ever need.
“When I first hear about it I get confused, but I get over it quickly. Everyone has their own opinions about me, but all I really care about are the championships. I would rather win a championship than an MVP,” said Quintanilla, which she has done four times now.
Quintanilla has two 1st Team All-Island selections as a senior and junior and cracked into the 2nd Team All-Island as a sophomore as selected by coaches during All-Island meetings (not by media internet tough guys). So Jan is recognized by her talents at the least, but coaches just don’t seem to agree that she’s the best in the league, based on their voting – of course. The last multiple champion who was also left off of MVP voting was Southern Dolphin April Tolledo who won titles in the 2014-15 seasons.
“My coaches are funny. It bothers them and my teammates a lot. My team sees me as their MVP, so when they hear that I’m not [the MVP] they get so mad. I tell them it’s okay, but I take [their anger] as them showing love to me,” laughed Jan.
Jan has adopted the Mamba-mentality of only putting energy into things she can control and she’s been the surest thing since entering the league, proving her weight in league titles.
Championship Mentality
There’s not much sweeter to Jan than being able to prove her doubters wrong. It’s safe to believe that not winning a single MVP award has served as bulletin board material for the decorated Warrior but how has she performed when under the brightest lights? Only by leading her team in scoring in three of her four championships: 22 points as a sophomore in 2017-18, 24 points as a junior in the 2018-19 game and a near quadruple double with 24 points, 11 assists and six boards and six steals in the 2021 title game.
This past season was likely the most rewarding for Quintanilla as her doubters had plenty of ammunition: the Warriors didn’t win the preseason tourney, weren’t the top seed of the league and nearly lost in the semifinals against a gritty Okkodo team.
Standing between her and her fourth title were the undefeated Academy Cougars, who had beaten St. Paul twice already this year.

“I feel like everyone doubted us this year. I knew what my team was capable of. I knew that we could blow out any team if we wanted to and it was all about our mindset. I told our girls that we can’t let the doubters get to you and we have to prove them wrong. That’s all that ran through our minds when it came down to the championship game, to prove everyone wrong, and I think we did,” said Quintanilla.
Jan and the Warriors took control from the opening quarter against the undefeated Cougars and never looked back, securing her fourth straight title – a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in over a decade.
Quintanilla also has three ACSC titles with a ACSC Philippines Top Scorer award her sophomore season to add to the Warriors trophy case.
What fuels Jan
Jan’s basketball journey started at Jose Rios where she was recruited to St. Paul for high school. Quintanilla came into a loaded St. Paul roster her freshman year and really started to show her potential midway through her sophomore season. Come junior year, the Warriors were Jan’s team and the real test of whether or not the pressure was too much for her really began.
Quintanilla has been a by product of leading by example and she gives all the credit to her coaches Paul Pineda and Stu Schaefer for squeezing every ounce of potential they could out of her.
“My coaches see my full potential even when I don’t. They’ll push me to my breaking point just to make me realize that. If it wasn’t for them then I wouldn’t be where I am,” said Jan.
Not to say that Jan herself isn’t already self motivated.
“I’m very competitive. When I feel there’s competition on the court I always want to be the best one out there. What pushes me is wanting to outperform the best player on the other team and that really drives me.”
And the fear of letting her believers down of course.
“A lot is expected of me and I have fear of disappointing my coaches and teammates. I play for them and I want to reach the expectations they have for me.”
What’s next?
Quintanilla is still unsure if basketball is in her collegiate future despite the amount of offers she currently has on the table. If coach Pineda is at the helm of the Women’s National Team then Jan is also highly considering suiting up for Team Guam.
But how exactly does Jan want to be remembered aside from a four-time champion? Feared. A lot of respect comes out of being feared but don’t get it twisted, if you’re standing on the other side of Quintanilla on the court then just remember she’s there to break your heart.
“I want to be remembered as the person people see on the court and freak out about or get scared to face,” laughed Jan.
MVP fallout on social media
EDITORS NOTE: The worst thing to do when an All-Island list comes out is to attack the players involved like they had something to do with it. The ugly side of the MVP award this past season was the unfair backlash that JFK Islander Jada Han was getting like she had anything to do with being named MVP. It’s okay to voice out your frustration at what you think is unjust, but let’s all do a better job at not trying to tear down someone else in the process with unmerited remarks! (We’re looking at you fake/burner Instagram account users)
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GPS Sports Calendar
May 2022
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for May
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #4
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
3rd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
5th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
6th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
7th
GPD HOT PURSUIT 5K
MARIANAS OPEN
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for May
9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #5
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER All-Star Meeting
IIAAG GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
Events for May
12th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
12th
Events for May
14th
14th JUDICA CRABAO 5K
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
Events for May
16th
ISA TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE All-Star Meeting
Events for May
17th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
18th
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG GIRLS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Events for May
19th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
20th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-Star Meeting
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
21st
Pre-Memorial Day 13-Miler
GETTING GUAM HEALTHY 5K BUBBLE RUN/HEALTH FAIR
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD All-ISLAND MEET
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE FINALS
ALPHA WARRIOR ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
2022 Guam Track & Field National Championships
Events for May
23rd
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
24th
Events for May
26th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
27th
- 29
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- 1
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Events for May
29th
Events for May
30th

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON

Volleyball
ROSARIO: BOYS VOLLEYBALL MVP

Baseball
DODGERS HAND TRITONS FIRST LOSS

Running/Track
FBLG, BMS CONQUER MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
COMING SOON …
- YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE KICKOFF June 4
- Todd Gurley Football Camp on Andersen
- GSPN Boys Volleyball All-Star Game
- Pacific Mini-Games in Saipan