Despite slipping a couple of spots in this week’s AP rankings, UConn just hit a crazy milestone—600 straight appearances in the poll! That’s right, SIX HUNDRED. And this season, a lot of the credit goes to their second-leading scorer, Sarah Strong. The freshman phenom has been a rock for the Huskies, but in their last game against Providence, she had a rare off-night, scoring just seven points in 24 minutes. It was only the second time all season she didn’t hit double digits. So naturally, when Geno Auriemma was asked about her ahead of UConn’s clash with St. John’s, along with praising her, he also dropped a bit of a reality check.
Now, the seventh-ranked Huskies are gearing up to host St. John’s on Wednesday. UConn has historically dominated this matchup, leading the all-time series 50-21. Last time they faced off, the Huskies cruised to a 71-45 win.
So, back to Strong. When asked about her ahead of the coming game, Auriemma started off with some solid praise. “You know, I think Sarah’s been pretty consistent throughout the whole season.” And he’s not wrong—she’s averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, all while shooting an impressive 57.7% from the field.
But, obviously, that wasn’t all. The coach followed it up with, “I do think that there’s a lot of opportunities still that we would like for her to take more advantage of.” An example of that was the USC game earlier this season. Strong found herself in a game-deciding moment.
Geno Auriemma on Sarah Strong and Morgan Cheli: pic.twitter.com/UUJEtBmJnt
— Avery Becker (@averyybecker) February 11, 2025
With UConn down by three and just seconds left, she was fouled while taking a three-pointer. The freshman nailed the first free throw, making it a two-point game, but then missed the second. At that point, the smart play was to intentionally miss the third to give her team a chance at a putback. She did just that, but unfortunately, her final shot didn’t connect, and UConn took the L.
However, Geno Auriemma acknowledged that there’s still work to be done in fully integrating Strong into the offensive game plan. “We’re working harder, and I don’t think we did a great job of it against Tennessee,” he said. (For context, she put up 18 points in 39 minutes in that game.)
“We’re working harder at getting her the ball in spots where she’s hard to guard…And then, you know, things happen, and we kind of get away from it. And that’s kind of on me to make sure that we keep going to her, that we don’t forget about her. But I think she’s okay.”
The thing is, Strong has got all the makings of a superstar. Standing at 6-foot-2, she has the traditional skill set of a power forward—solid post moves, strong finishing ability inside—but what really sets her apart is her passing.
Her court vision as a big is elite. Some even compare her to Nikola Jokić or Magic Johnson with the way she dishes dimes from the post. Whether it’s finding open teammates off a double-team or facilitating in transition, Strong’s passing makes her a nightmare matchup for defenses. So, we sort of get the expectation.
And she is right at it, even picking accolades along the way.
Geno Auriemma’s athletes on watch list, Strong one of two freshmen honored
Sarah Strong and her teammate Paige Bueckers were both named to the John R. Wooden Award late midseason Top 20 watch list. For those who don’t know, the Wooden Award is given to the most outstanding player in the country, and making it onto this list means Strong is already being recognized as one of the best in college basketball.
Bueckers is no stranger to this. The two-time Big East Player of the Year leads the Huskies with 18.8 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 53.1% from the floor and 41.5% from deep. She even won the Wooden Award as a freshman back in 2021.
As for Strong, she’s second on the team in scoring, leads in rebounds, steals, and blocks, and already has five double-doubles under her belt. Oh, and she’s just one of two freshmen on the list, alongside Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Williams.
Dec 17, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; (lL to R) UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21), guard Ashlynn Shade (12), guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) react after a three point basket against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Other big names on the watch list include Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, UCLA’s Lauren Betts, USC’s JuJu Watkins, TCU’s Sedona Prince and Hailey Van Lith, and LSU’s Aneesah Morrow and Flau’Jae Johnson. The fact that Strong is already being mentioned among these stars speaks volumes.
More than anything, the freshman still has plenty of time to develop, and from what we’ve seen so far, she’s already on the right track. Give her a little more time, and who knows? We might be talking about her as one of the UConn legends down the line.
The potential is limitless, and she’s just getting started.
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