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Freshman Sarah Strong has been showing off her impressive skills all season as a member of the UConn women's basketball Big 3, alongside Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. However, she blew everyone away by having the best performance during the Huskies' NCAA national championship 82-59 win over South Carolina.
So who exactly is the breakout star who helped lift the UConn women's basketball program to its 12th national title and first in nearly a decade?
Strong attended Grace Christian School in North Carolina for high school, where she showed early signs of the dominance we've now come to know her for. The young dynamo led Grace Christian to three state titles and ended her high school career as the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-2 powerhouse started her college career with UConn as a solid two-way player and only improved from there. Strong turned into a smothering rim protector and averaged 16.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 58.4% over 38 starts.
Strong morphed into a double-double machine by the NCAA Tournament, putting up seven in her last nine contests to become the first UConn frosh to post four during March Madness. She finished the national title game with another, tallying a game-high 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals on 7-of-12 shooting.
The 19-year-old registered 11 of her boards, two of her blocks, and both of her steals in the first half alone, proving she can put the team on her back while also setting a new D1 record for freshmen with 114 total points in the tournament.
While legendary head coach Geno Auriemma was complimenting his main trio in a postgame interview, he gave them their flowers for their chemistry and for the surprisingly mature playing style Strong showed off in the contest and throughout the season.
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“Sarah, you would think Sarah is graduating with the way she plays, right?” Auriemma told ESPN's Holly Rowe. “All three of them complement each other so well.”
Even professional players showered Strong with well-deserved praise throughout the national championship game. Fifteen-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant gave Strong a personal shout-out while enjoying UConn's outstanding display of talent.
“Sarah Strong, my goodness, how did u get so good so early???” the NBA superstar posted on X.
Some might say Strong has the game in her DNA. Her mother, Allison Feaster, played basketball at Harvard from 1994-98 and for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from 1998-2008. Her father, Danny Strong, played at NC State from 1995-97. Feaster is now a member of the Boston Celtics' front office.
The new NCAA Tournament champ proved that she couldn't be overshadowed despite sharing the court with some of college basketball's brightest stars.
Now that she's made a striking first impression on the March Madness stage, there's no telling what level of skill this fierce baller will develop in her years with the UConn women's basketball team.
