UConn’s Sarah Strong Reveals X-Factor Behind Playmaking Growth
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Sarah Strong’s evolution this season has been layered and impossible to miss. Her scoring has improved, and her rebounding is steady. However, the paradigm shift in her game has been in how she reads the floor. And as her assist numbers jump and her turnovers drop, Strong is quick to point to something that’s been with her long before she ever wore a UConn jersey.
That growth that the world is seeing now, she says, started at home.
“I watched a lot of film growing up, my dad always made me watch my games over and review the film with me, correcting where I needed to be corrected," Strong said. "Growing up, I watched a lot of film, and I still do now. I would say that’s how I play.”
That habit has translated into numbers. After averaging 3.6 assists last season, Strong is up to 5.1 this year while maintaining elite efficiency. She is shooting over 58 percent from the field and averaging 17.9 points per game. Strong is also averaging 8.9 rebounds per game.
The game seems to have slowed down for her, and it’s no accident. Those film sessions began when she first stepped onto the high school basketball court. At the time, she admits, the lessons didn’t always land the way her father, Danny Strong, had hoped.
“Looking back, I really appreciate that he did that with me,” Strong said. “I feel like I have a much better understanding of the game than some other people. In the moment, though, I was like, why are we watching film? I’m tired. I want to do something else.”
That resistance faded as the results followed with state titles, national awards, and the polish that made her the No. 1 recruit in the country. Before attending UConn, Strong played for Grace Christian School, where she led the program to three consecutive state titles and averaged 21.0 points, 16.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists as a senior.
That combination of skill and IQ carried into her freshman season, where she immediately became a double-double threat and a defensive disruptor. Now, in year two, those instincts have matured into control.
Is Film Study With Her Father Still Part of Sarah Strong’s Routine?
These days, Strong laughs about how her parents still try to sneak coaching moments into her routine.
“He tries,” Strong said of her dad. “I’m like, you’re not on the coaching staff.” But the feedback still comes, sometimes just from a different angle.
“My mom will send me clips of things I could have done, and she’ll be like, ‘Can I give you my two cents?’ I’m like, okay, it doesn’t matter what I say, you’re still going to give it to me anyway,” Strong added.
That constant loop of feedback has built Strong’s feel for the game. In fact, that improvement is evident in her performances. She had a 29-point, 13-rebound, seven-assist explosion against Ohio State and even a 16-point, 20-rebound, six-assist effort against Michigan.
HUGE: Sarah Strong has taken her game to the NEXT LEVEL | Will Strong LEAD UConn to National Title? pic.twitter.com/uv4kyas80E
— Locked On UConn (@LockedOnUConn) December 12, 2025
Even in blowouts, her playmaking stands out. For example, the eight assists against Xavier, five steals against DePaul, and the multiple games with zero turnovers. As her role at UConn continues to expand, that X-factor may be what separates her from everyone else.
Next up, UConn faces USC. A match Strong previously fumbled last season. Strong was right in the middle of UConn’s final chance, and she fouled on a late three. She made one free throw, missed the next two, then got the ball back after the rebound but couldn’t get the final shot to fall as time expired.
This season, Strong enters the match as one of the best players in the country and will be looking to rewrite that story.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.