UConn HC Credits Forward for Filling Paige Bueckers Void

When Paige Bueckers showed up at the UConn Huskies' season opener against Louisville, for the first time in 4 years, she wasn’t wearing the Huskies' blue. Instead, the first overall WNBA draft pick was on the sidelines cheering her former team on.

With Bueckers leaving, the Huskies did not just lose a player who makes 20 points a night. They also lost Bueckers’ voice-guided UConn’s huddles, steadied nerves and kickstarted comebacks. Head coach Geno Auriemma knew it wouldn’t be easy to fill that void.

While most assumed guard Azzi Fudd would inherit that leadership mantle, the Hall of Fame coach suddenly saw the rise of a sophomore force on his roster. Auriemma has been pushing Sarah Strong towards the spotlight all offseason, even pushing her into those uncomfortable media moments Bueckers used to own.

Now, with the season opener behind us, it is not just talk.

Sarah Strong Steps Into Paige Bueckers’ Space, and Redefines It

Turns out, the voice UConn needed didn’t come from the perimeter; it came from the paint. After UConn’s 79–66 win over No. 20 Louisville in the Armed Forces Classic, Auriemma spoke about Sarah Strong. The sophomore forward scored 21 points, nine rebounds, and set the team’s offensive pace.

“Last year, so much of what we did revolved around Paige,” Auriemma said after the game. “We played slower to keep the ball in her hands. But without her, Sarah’s got to have it more often, and she’s the one making great things happen.”

That’s exactly what Strong has been doing.

Sarah Strong tonight 🔥

• 21 points
• 9 rebounds
• 5 assists
• 2 blocks
• 2 steals
• 9/17 FGpic.twitter.com/ioWY59rdOB
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) November 5, 2025

UConn opened the game with an 8-0 burst, fueled by fast-break threes and Strong’s quick decision-making inside. She scored in the post, hit midrange jumpers, and found open shooters, basically doing all the things Auriemma once relied on Bueckers for.

“She’s a playmaker,” Geno added. “And we’re going to put the ball in our best playmaker’s hands.”

The numbers back him up. Strong’s 9-for-17 shooting against Louisville was not all that surprising considering her preseason play.

In the exhibition match against Boston, Strong had 17 points in 23 minutes. And against SCSU, she had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. However, for those who have followed Strong last season, this is not new.

In fact, Strong has already made it into UConn’s record books. She is the only freshman besides Maya Moore to score over 600 points. Strong also has a program record 356 rebounds, and an NCAA freshman-tournament record 114 points during last season’s title run. The major difference now is in how she is doing it.

Sarah Strong baby hook pic.twitter.com/EREColcNCw
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) November 4, 2025

Last season, one of the biggest criticisms Strong faced was that she was not assertive enough. This season, that has changed. As Auriemma put it earlier this season, “You know, every huddle that she’s in, she’s the one doing the talking. That would have never happened last season.”

Auriemma’s trust in her is obvious.

“We post her up, she scores. We put her outside, she finds people,” he said. “She shot the ball great today.”

In a season defined by transition, Strong’s game has become UConn’s bridge between eras. The Huskies may have lost Paige Bueckers to the pros, but thanks to Sarah Strong, they haven’t lost their pulse or offensive brilliance.

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