Sarah Strong is on a historic run this season. She led the UConn Huskies to an undefeated 38-0 season, and they will face the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow.
Strong has won several individual awards so far, including the Wade Trophy and the Naismith College Player of the Year. She now joins the elite company of Maya Moore, a UConn and WNBA legend.
There are only two sophomores who have won the Wade Trophy, Moore and Strong. The similarities between them don’t stop there. Fans often compare their playing style as well, and it’s not surprising because most young players are inspired by Moore.
Outside of the debatable similarities, Moore and Strong won the same trophies in their sophomore years. AP Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year, USWBA Player of the Year, and the Wade Trophy.
Their stats, as outlined by B/R W Sports on Instagram, are “scary similar.” Moore averaged 18.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks. Strong is averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Strong has said that she was inspired by her mother to play basketball. Her mother, Allison Feaster, played for Harvard from 1994 to 1998. She was an Ivy League Rookie of the Year, 3× Ivy League Player of the Year, 4× First-team All-Ivy League, 2× NCAA season scoring leader, and the 1997 NCAA season rebounding leader.
We would play in the morning, and they would have a game at night, and [I remember] just being there the whole day and watching them practice and trying to do the drills they were doing,” Strong said about her mother.
Feaster still holds numerous Harvard records, including the all-time scoring and rebounding leader.
Geno Auriemma on What Makes Sarah Strong Different
In his legendary run with the UConn Huskies, Geno Auriemma has coached some of the greatest basketball players of all time. Coach Geno has played a huge role in the success they went on to have in the WNBA.
While talking to USA Today Sports in February, Auriemma talked about Strong and what makes her different from most players.
“Sarah’s one of those high-level players who looks you right in the eye every time you’re talking to her and gets every single word you’re saying,” he said. “And if she has a question, she’s not afraid to ask it because to her, ‘I don’t want to miss anything when I’m on the court.’”
As per Coach Geno, it’s her curiosity that makes Strong a better player as she learns more than others.
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