Sarah Strong leads UConn into new era after dominant year (original) (raw)

UConn women’s basketball forward Sarah Strong is halfway through what will wind up as one of the most dominant careers by a college player.

We’ve seen various versions of such experiences before at UConn, certainly. Diana Taurasi was followed by Maya Moore, who was followed by Breanna Stewart. Mix in a bunch of others — Olympic gold medalists here, Hall of Famers there, All-Americans everywhere — and you have the Huskies’ turnstile of 30-plus years, legendary players with an affiliation matched only in collective greatness by, say, USA Basketball.

It’s not new for coach Geno Auriemma to send great players, perhaps the greatest, off to the WNBA and have great players, perhaps the greatest, returning the following year. Paige Bueckers was the No. 1 draft pick in 2025 and Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 pick in 2026, the two most famous players during Strong’s underclass seasons with the Huskies.

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Strong, with their help, won a national championship as a freshman and won every major national player of the year award as a sophomore, slingshotting her way into this next phase — in which she’ll be the center of everything, the face of a program built on faces fit for Mount Rushmore, one of the most versatile players the sport has ever seen. She’s just 20 years old, 77 games into her college career, another 75-80 remaining as she takes on more attention and probably completely takes over a sport.

“Sometimes we do forget she's a sophomore,” Auriemma said after UConn’s Final Four loss to South Carolina, a game in which Strong, like most Huskies, struggled offensively, shooting 4-for-16. “She's carried a huge load for this team. An awful lot falls on her. Tonight she'll be the first to tell you that she is not proud of how her game went. A lot of shots that you've seen her make for two years, so easily, didn't go in. She still got her 12 rebounds, did all the things she normally does, and played 40 minutes. I don't think Sarah Strong needs me to put any fire or motivation or anything into her. We'll be back here next year. She'll make sure of that.”

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 27: Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies looks on during the third quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Dickies Arena on March 27, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Elsa/Getty Images

When we look back years from now, through the forest of drama packed into that loss, we'll probably realize that Strong ripping off her jersey between the third and fourth quarters was the beginning of an Incredible Hulk moment.

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Remember that? It was a confusing game and a confusing set of circumstances, with Auriemma suggesting that Strong’s jersey was ripped while such physical play took place and so few fouls were called. The game ended with Auriemma confronting Dawn Staley in the handshake line, walking off the court alone, a perfect season cut down on a Friday instead of nets on a Sunday, and issuing two apologies in the days that followed. It took Auriemma some time to process what had taken place, but he couldn’t have been more accurate in the moment with what he offered as the final portion of his comment about Strong.

She'll make sure of that.

The 2027 Final Four is in Columbus, Ohio., April 2-4. UConn can head toward that destination feeling or knowing that it has the best player in America because it already does and she’s returning. Surely teams such as Southern Cal (JuJu Watkins), Notre Dame (Hannah Hidalgo) and Texas (Madison Booker) can feel just as confident that they have players of equal talent and/or value — a lot of this is subjective — but in Strong UConn has one of the most unique players to hit the scene in some time.

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For what she can do at just about every position.

And for what makes her basketball blood boil.

UConn forward Sarah Strong, left, drives against Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper during the first half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tony Gutierrez/AP

Experiences like the loss to South Carolina drive her mad, make her angry in a healthy way. I don’t have to inquire to know that she has replayed that game in her mind a million times over by now, just three weeks removed.

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Strong is a perfectionist. Shortcomings not only bother her, they stick with her until she can bury them. She won’t have the opportunity to start doing that until the ball goes up for her junior season in November, and this will be a summer spent quietly seething. Strong will use what happened in Phoenix for her own growth and to the detriment of those she faces. She has done something like this before.

On Dec. 21, 2024, in Hartford, UConn lost to Southern Cal, 72-70, a game Strong finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals — but considered a personal failure. A freshman at the time, she missed two free throws (the second on purpose) with five seconds remaining and walked away hyper critical of herself. Then she read social media comments — a big mistake, as she soon realized — and had a rather depressing trip home for Christmas.

UConn's Sarah Strong (21) during a press conference leading up to the Final Four at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona Thursday, April 2, 2026.

Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media

Strong returned to UConn and became, arguably, the best player in the country over the flowing three-plus months, named national freshman of the year as the Huskies won a championship for the 12th time.

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This past season, Strong was even better, averaging 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 steals, 1.6 blocks and 3.8 assists. She was UConn's leader in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, and second to KK Arnold in assists.

Her two-year totals are 1,356 points, 649 rebounds, 128 blocks, 222 steals and 288 assists.

Just for heck of it, let’s double those numbers, giving Strong four-year totals of 2,712 points, 1,298 rebounds, 256 blocks, 444 steals and 576 assists.

Taurasi over four years: 2,156 points, 628 rebounds, 147 blocks, 176 steals, 648 assists.

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Moore over four years: 3,036 points, 1,276 rebounds, 204 blocks, 310 steals, 544 assists.

Stewart over four years: 2,676 points, 1,179 rebounds, 414 blocks, 232 steals, 426 assists.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 03: Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies looks on before the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Taurasi won three national championships, Moore won two and Stewart, famously, won four. Strong has one, so far. This is all just fun with numbers. These players had different teammates, different competition, different roles, etc. But Strong, by every measurable and every intangible, has started to enter the “greatest” conversation and, surely, she’ll be the No. 1 WNBA draft pick in 2028.

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In the meantime, we get to enjoy the ride she’s taking UConn fans on, one only gaining momentum. Reserved by nature, conversationally, she won’t say a lot along the way. Still, she’s the loudest thing going in college basketball.

April 23, 2026

Sports columnist and associate editor

Mike Anthony is an award-winning sports columnist and associate editor for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, providing analysis and feature writing on UConn, college, and professional sports. He joined Hearst in February 2021 after 21 years at The Hartford Courant, including three as the lead sports columnist. Anthony has covered UConn athletics for over 20 years, focusing primarily on men's basketball, women's basketball, football, conference realignment and various fiscal issues in a forever-changing sports landscape. An avid chef, he's also working toward becoming a scratch golfer, sometimes with the required patience, sometimes without.