The WNBA season is at an end, and that means the beginning of college basketball season. UConn, whom, a championship has evaded thrice just this decade after making the final four, is geared up to welcome three players with big impacts in hopes of going just one more step ahead. Apart from the two 5-star guards Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli comes one more 18-year-old 5-star 6’2″. But her position? Tricky!

She’s the best player on the floor in almost every game she plays. Her skills are so versatile that she can score at any level coupled with the size and physicality to snatch up almost every rebound. But just ask her what area of her game she’s most proud of. She doesn’t take a moment to declare her passing.

That is the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, Sarah Strong, who has predominantly played forward through the years, and has, what ESPN’s Shane Laflin calls, “sixth sense on offense.” Having averaged 21.0 points, 16.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in high school, that is also the position the 18-year-old is believed to carry on with, in her college basketball run. But Huskies veteran Paige Bueckers, who marvels that Sarah “does a lot of things on the court”, thinks otherwise.

“I would more say she’s like a big guard. She’ll get in there in the post um but she has guard skills as well. But she knows how to play the game. I think the biggest thing is like her IQ. Coming in as a freshman I think that’s a great thing to have. She’s aggressive, she can pass, she can shoot so she can score at all three levels, she even rebounds well,” Bueckers had said after the first practice of the 2024-25 season. Naturally, the question about her role went to Sarah.

After her first practice with the team, a reporter asked, “Is there anywhere on the floor you feel most comfortable playing?” To which the 18-year-old said, “Um, right now? Not really. I’m still trying to figure things out. I mean, I’m comfortable in some places but I don’t have like a certain area that I’m comfortable in.”

Another journalist on the media day then mentioned, “So Paige calls you more of a big guard than a forward. Is that not your mentality? Do you still see yourself as both and are just trying to figure it out?” Strong replied, “Yeah I think I am, at least I’m trying to, I’m starting to.” Coming from Grace Christian High School, Strong has an impressive portfolio of achievements.

During her time at Grace Christian High School, Strong was a two-time North Carolina Miss Basketball and North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year, then earned the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year as well as McDonald’s, Naismith, Jordan Brand and SLAM All-American honors as a senior. Her talent is not limited to the domestic stage only.

On the international stage, Strong has won four gold medals: Three at the FIBA U18 3×3 World Cup in 2022, 2023, and 2024 — including MVP honors at the latter — and another at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. All that being said, Sarah’s addition to the team might lift the Huskies to an altogether different level. Indeed, as put forward by Paige, she is difficult to categorize in one position.

Sarah has all the normal abilities of a power forward, the typical position for someone her height. She can use her solid post moves when she’s matched up against smaller opponents and she’s able to finish well inside. Versatile as a forward, her passing skills and ability to knock down long-range 3s will be an asset for the Huskies. She can score from almost anywhere and get almost every rebound given her height.

While Sarah’s passing abilities might not be to the level of Paige Bueckers or Nika Mühl, she has a remarkable sense of the floor and where her teammates are. Many compare her to Nikola Jokić and Magic Johnson with the way she finds her teammates from the interior. Apart from that, Sarah is great at swatting shots with exceptional hand-eye coordination. She can not swat many shots from centers for her height, but if smaller players drive and challenge Strong at the rim, she’ll make them pay.

With such a diverse Skillset, it might only be a matter of time before she finds her correct position in the team. Paige Bueckers is surely going to be the face of the team where she came with a defined point guard mindset and has been instrumental in taking her school to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on three occasions and the championship round once. While she may have a different view of Strong’s position, UConn’s head coach has a lot of faith in Strong.

Geno Auriemma is confident that Sarah Strong is “a pretty special player”

Ranked No. 1 by ESPN, Sarah Strong will be the third such player to choose UConn in the last five years. Daughter of two basketball players, it was a dream for her to come attend the school that has sent a number of great players to the W. While there are numerous notable names to come out of Connecticut, one of Strong’s favorite players was Maya Moore.

“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid,” Strong said. “I just liked the program and also seeing who Geno (Auriemma) has sent to the WNBA. They’re all great players. So why not just go to where they went to college?”

The Huskies head coach was equally in awe of who is going to be on his team this year. “The skill set that she has is both brand new and fits today’s game perfectly, and it’s also a throwback to an age when it didn’t matter what size players were, they played the entire game,” Auriemma said. “They passed, they shot, they handled the ball, they rebounded. I think we’re getting a pretty special player and a special person.” Probably this man has had a big role to play in Sarah’s recruitment.

According to Grace Christian High School girls’ basketball coach Chad Revelle, Auriemma and members of the UConn staff came down to visit Sarah several times throughout the past couple of years. The coach made sure to always be around and be transparent with the budding player. His genuineness was what sealed the deal for the Huskies, Revelle believed.

While her fellow recruits will be a big help on the backcourt, Sarah Strong might just get the chance to be in the starting 5 at the front of the court given her wide skill set. Getting offers from multiple top-ranked schools is no small thing, but Strong believes she’s at a place that is truly best for her. Now as fall begins, fans can’t wait to see the new Huskies in action.