The morning after the UConn women’s basketball team fell in the Final Four to Iowa, everyone’s mood went in the complete opposite direction. Instead of focusing on the sadness and frustration of defeat, the choice of one 18-year-old turned everything around.
Months after the majority of prospects announced their commitments to universities, the top player in the class remained uncommitted. That player was Sarah Strong, who wanted to focus on everything that involved her high school journey before looking ahead to college. Once she racked up accolades and left no doubt that she was the best player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Strong announced her commitment to UConn.
Strong is a one-of-a-kind player who possesses skills that can take UConn to the next level. In a 6-foot-2 frame, it’s hard to categorize the McDonald’s All-American game MVP into one position. She has all the normal abilities of a power forward, the typical position for someone her height. Strong has solid post moves that she can use when she’s matched up against smaller opponents and she’s able to finish well inside.
One issue is that she has often been the biggest player on the floor, which will not be the case in college. Strong misses several layups, but she is big enough compared to the opposition that it hasn’t hurt her. She’s historically been able to get a handful of rebounds and putback attempts in one possession. Top college teams have players who will snatch up those rebounds after the first attempt. That is very fixable, and given her growth in high school, it’s of little doubt that she’ll adapt upon arrival in Storrs.
Moving on to her biggest strength is her ability to pass. She isn’t quite Paige Bueckers or Nika Mühl, but Strong has an excellent sense of the floor and where her teammates are. Many compare her to Nikola Jokić and Magic Johnson with the way she’s able to find teammates from the interior as a big, which isn’t crazy.
Strong gets positioning on the low post and is able to find cutting teammates or open ones on the inside, which is especially helpful when she’s being double-teamed. Her vision extends past the post too, with an ability to facilitate in the fastbreak and on the perimeter. In year one, it’s unlikely that Strong will be given the keys to the offense, especially when considering Bueckers’ world-class abilities. However, if Strong can use year one to get comfortable with the college game, there’s little reason why she wouldn’t be able to ease into a more prominent facilitating role in the following years.
Another reason why she is the top player in the class is her ability to hit shots from distance. Most traditional bigs can hit occasional threes at best, but strong isn’t a traditional big. She has a beautiful stroke from 3-point land and the ball looks poised to go in every time she releases it.
Not only does this help in terms of getting her team frequent threes, it also opens up the floor. When opponents have to respect Strong on the perimeter instead of waiting in the paint for her to drive, it opens up a lot in the paint. Teammates have clearer cutting lanes and Strong has more of an ability to drive herself. Once downhill, she has an easy time getting a layup to fall or finding another teammate.
There’s a world where UConn could have Strong at the center position with four guards alongside her, which opens up a lot of possibilities on the offensive end. Five players who can shoot, pass and handle the ball? That lineup would be among the best in the country on that end of the floor and Strong’s defensive abilities wouldn’t hold them back there either.
She’s great at swatting shots, with hand-eye coordination that is exceptional. She doesn’t have the size to swat many shots from centers, but if smaller players drive and challenge Strong at the rim, then she’ll make them pay.
Looking broadly, Strong’s commitment takes the Huskies to a completely new level next year. There’s a chance she could be a day one starter and her diverse skillset would allow her to morph into whatever role UConn needs her to fit into. If she needs to play as a big wing in a game against an opponent with more size, she can do that. If there’s a fast paced, smaller matchup and she needs to hold down the inside, she can also do that.
Strong’s versatility is super helpful for the UConn women next year and takes them towards the top of the title conversation. They still do have some question marks on the interior, with the uncertainties of what Jana El Alfy will bring and how much Ice Brady will develop, but their backcourt is as good as any other in the country.
Bueckers will likely be the face of the sport, Azzi Fudd is an exceptional shooter, KK Arnold should take a sophomore leap and there are many others who can pitch in around the rotation. As usual, their biggest obstacle will be health. If they can make it through the year without injuries, there’s little stopping them from contending for national title No. 12.