Sarah Strong isn’t just living up to the legacy of UConn women’s basketball - she’s actively reshaping it. In just her second season in Storrs, the sophomore forward has already crossed the 1,000-point milestone, doing it in fewer shot attempts than program legends like Paige Bueckers and Maya Moore. That’s not just efficient - that’s elite company, and Strong’s name is starting to belong right alongside theirs.
Geno Auriemma, never one to throw around comparisons lightly, went deep into the program’s history to find a player who echoes what Strong brings to the table. He landed on Kerry Bascom - UConn’s first-ever All-American and, in many ways, the foundation for what the program would become.
“We had a kid from New Hampshire, way under the radar and built very similar to Sarah as a high school player, and her name was Kerry Bascom,” Auriemma said. “She was arguably our best ballhandler, our best passer, our best rebounder. Now, you fast forward 30-some years, and you say, ‘This is the evolution of women’s basketball.’”
It’s a telling comparison. Bascom came from tiny Epping, New Hampshire - a town where her high school graduating class numbered just 44 students.
She started playing varsity ball in eighth grade and ended up a Parade All-American in 1987. While Auriemma remembers her as under-the-radar, she was his first blue-chip recruit and set the tone for what would become a dynasty.
Bascom’s sophomore season was a monster: 22.6 points, 8 rebounds per game, and a scorching 48% from beyond the arc. She was a three-time Big East Player of the Year and led UConn to its first Final Four in 1991. If the WNBA had existed back then, there’s little doubt her career would’ve extended well beyond two seasons in Europe.
Strong’s numbers might not mirror Bascom’s scoring totals just yet, but her impact is undeniable - and arguably more well-rounded. The North Carolina native, who entered college as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, is leading the Huskies in both assists (4.5 per game) and steals (3.4 per game). Her true shooting percentage is flirting with the 70% mark - a staggering figure for a player who does so much on both ends of the floor.
What sets Strong apart isn’t just the stat sheet, though. It’s the way she approaches the game - with intention, attention, and a hunger to learn.
“She listens to everything you say, and she pays attention to everything that’s going on,” Auriemma said. “Maybe that’s why she’s got such a high IQ.
Whenever you’re speaking, whether it’s to her or someone else, she’s locked in and really looking to figure out, ‘How do I learn from this? How do I get better?’ ...
You don’t have to repeat yourself. And to me, that’s a rarity in college basketball.”
Strong grew up studying UConn’s greats. Now, she’s becoming one.
After helping power the Huskies to a national championship as a freshman, she’s only getting better - and so is UConn’s outlook. As her game evolves, so too does the shape of what’s possible for this team.
The Huskies have always been a powerhouse, but with Sarah Strong in the lineup, they might just be entering a new era of dominance.