Huskies Report

UConn Star Forward Earns Preseason All-American Nod

A UConn Huskies forward earns national spotlight with an Associated Press Preseason All-American honor after a breakout freshman season.
Shivani Menon|
Nov 20, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images | Mark Smith-Imagn Images

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It has been quite the day for Sarah Strong. On the same day she was named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, the UConn sophomore picked up yet another major accolade. Strong has earned a spot on the Associated Press Preseason All-American team.

Strong is the youngest name on the five-player squad. Strong joins a stacked lineup featuring Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Texas’ Madison Booker, South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson, and UCLA’s Lauren Betts.

The honor is not all that surprising, looking at Strong’s performance last week. In the match against Boston College, Strong scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting. She also added five rebounds and five assists in UConn’s 84–67 win at Mohegan Sun Arena.

It was a seamless continuation of the gameplay she showed last season. Meanwhile, veteran Azzi Fudd, who exploded for 20 points, only landed an honorable mention from the AP list. Evidently, Strong is becoming the face of UConn’s post-Paige Buckers era. Then again, Geno Auriemma did warn the world about Strong.

Sarah Strong Proves Geno Auriemma Right, Yet Again

When Auriemma said, “There’s just something about her right now,” he wasn’t exaggerating. The Hall of Fame coach has seen hundreds of players pass through Storrs, but it is not every day that Auriemma praises a player like that.

Strong came into UConn as the nation's No. 1 recruit, a three-time NCISAA state champion, and the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year. With that kind of production, there were, of course, some expectations. Somehow, Strong managed to exceed them.

Last season, Strong started all 40 games as a freshman, broke the UConn rookie rebound record, and became only the second Husky after the legendary Maya Moore to top 600 points as a freshman. However, what made her truly special was that she delivered when it mattered.

In the NCAA Tournament, Strong set a freshman record with 114 points. She also scored 24 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in the national championship against South Carolina. Still, Auriemma insisted she had more to give.

“I look forward to practice just to see what she might pull off next,” Auriemma said. And now, as she heads into Year Two, Strong is showing exactly what that means. Last season, she thrived in the paint, using her size and instincts to control the boards.

This year, she’s adding confidence and versatility. Strong has stepped out for mid-range jumpers, worked more fluidly with UConn’s guards, and anchored a frontcourt that includes Ice Brady, Ayanna Patterson, and transfer Serah Williams.

If this is just the preseason version of Sarah Strong, the rest of college basketball might want to buckle up before March.

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Shivani Menon
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.

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