TAMPA, Fla. — The future of UConn women’s basketball was on full display during Sunday’s national championship with freshman Sarah Strong’s performance. The Huskies took an 82-59 win over South Carolina, capturing their first national title since 2016, while she casually dropped 24 points and 15 rebounds.
That performance also helped her set an NCAA record for points by a freshman in a single tournament with a total of 114 points. Coincidentally, Strong committed to UConn exactly a year before cutting down the net.
“No te puede parar, Bicho. No te puede parar,” yelled her mom Allison Feaster from the sideline.
“Bicho” is Feaster’s nickname for Strong. The rest of the phrase translates to “they can’t stop you.” Feaster mostly cheers on her daughter in Spanish, which she half-jokingly said was on purpose so nobody could understand what she says.
UConn’s emphatic national championship win over South Carolina could mark the start of another Huskies dynasty
Jack Maloney
Strong spent the first 10 years of her life in Spain, where her parents played professional basketball. Now at 19 years old, she is a rising star at UConn.
Strong, who played at Grace Christian School in North Carolina, was the No. 1 recruit of the class of 2024, according to 247Sports. And has certainly lived up to the expectations. She was second in scoring and assists while also leading UConn in rebounds, steals and blocks. She excels on both sides of the court but her most impressive traits have been her basketball IQ and maturity.
When asked about her performance against the Gamecocks and setting a new NCAA Tournament scoring record, Strong shared that she even surprised herself.
“I feel like I did better than I was expecting,” she said. “It’s cool to score that. That wouldn’t have happened without my teammates, though.”
UConn won its 12th national championship in Paige Bueckers’ last college game before she heads to the WNBA. While many programs struggle after their star player leaves, that doesn’t seem like it will be the case for UConn. Senior Azzi Fudd will return for one more year and will be the team’s veteran leader. However, Strong already proved she will also be a centerpiece for the Huskies next season.
“You can’t really say enough great things about Sarah Strong,” Bueckers said this week. “She just contributes to winning in so many different ways. A lot of things sometimes don’t show up in the stat sheet, but everything she does also shows up in the stat sheet.
“She just has an impact on the game. And it’s funny because she’s so mature, cool, calm and collected on the court. But as a roommate she’s pretty wild off the court. Just to see the switch-up is pretty fun, too.”