“There Is More That She Has”: Geno Auriemma Teases Major Next-Level Shift for Sarah Strong

Sarah Strong is already a UConn Huskies star, and some might even say the biggest star in NCAA Women’s Basketball. However, head coach Geno Auriemma believes she can take her current form and build on it to reach unprecedented levels as she enters her third season at Storrs.

“I think what we’ll see is a much more aggressive Sarah, much more intentional, much more understanding that ‘I have to be more assertive every day’ … I think there is more that she has, and we’re going to see it this year.”

Auriemma said about Strong at the Big East Media Day on Thursday, via UConn Huskies reporter Maggie Vanoni on X.

This is not the first time recently that Auriemma has hinted at Strong shifting into another gear next season.

On September 28, the UConn Women’s Basketball posted a video of a practice session on X where Geno Auriemma was mic’d up. There, the 72-year-old was seen running his usual intense playing sessions and providing meaningful advice to his players. One moment in particular stood out, where he is seen focusing on getting the best out of Strong ahead of her junior season.

“She’s going to be three times as good as she was when she was a freshman.”

Auriemma walked back on that statement and said he “must’ve been having gummies or something.”

But still, these are bold takes considering Sarah Strong was one of the premier players for Auriemma’s championship-winning team as a freshman and won the National Player of the Year the very next season. So one must wonder how much more she could improve in a single season.

But then again, this is the 12-time NCAA championship coach we are talking about. Geno Auriemma has developed the likes of Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi under his tutelage, to name a few. So he must have some degree of certainty that Strong can go a level beyond what she managed to achieve last season.

In her sophomore year, Sarah Strong averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. As usual, the Huskies swept the Big East once again, but unfortunately lost to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four. But the program’s shortcomings cannot take away from Strong’s improvement from her freshman year, when she averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, winning the national championship alongside Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

But now, in her junior year with both Bueckers and Fudd gone to the WNBA as the No. 1 draft picks, Sarah Strong will naturally be the next to lead the Huskies in an attempt to secure the national championship once again. And considering the faith Auriemma has in Strong, we might really see her go past her ceiling, if she has one.

Strong, who did not play in the summer due to Achilles and calf soreness, is happy to be back on the hardwood.

“I feel super excited. It was kind of weird not being able to play basketball throughout the summer, so just being able to come back was good.”

For Auriemma, the quest for next season is simple. Winning his 13th NCAA championship. And for that to happen, he needs his best player to be able to produce even when the Huskies’ backs are against the wall. That was not the case against the Gamecocks in the Final Four last season, as Strong produced 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field.

In the video posted by UConn on X, we can already see Auriemma targeting Strong to shoot more often, knowing the guards she will be facing.

“Because the minute you caught it, you took a shot from out here; the minute you caught it. That was harder than the one you passed up. You’ve got to think, as soon as you catch it, because of the way they’re going to guard you, the minute you catch it, you’ve got to think, I’m shooting it.”

With Sarah Strong potentially reaching new heights, and recruits like Olivia Vukosa from Croatia and Jovana Popovic from Serbia, Geno Auriemma’s new-look UConn Huskies will once again be a force to be reckoned with next season.

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