When people think of UConn women's basketball, some iconic names come to mind — Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier. They each had incredible success at UConn, being coached by legend Geno Auriemma, and all went on to have illustrious careers in the WNBA.
Sophomore phenom, Sarah Strong, is on course to join that list. In her freshman season, Strong averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. She also shot 58.6 percent from the floor — all on her way to helping UConn win its first title since 2016. She's only gotten better since beginning her sophomore campaign.
So far this season, Strong is averaging 18.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.6 steals per game. This year, she is shooting 60.3 percent from the floor. In UConn's last matchup, Strong reached 1000 career points. Hitting that milestone in only 59 games is incredibly impressive, as Paige Bueckers and Maya Moore are the only UConn players to reach faster. It might seem insane to be grouping such a young player with seasoned WNBA vets — but let's compare where those greats were at this point in their careers with Strong's achievements.
Sue Bird (1998-2002)
Sue Bird only played in eight games in her debut season before tearing her ACL. She recovered in time to play the entirety of her sophomore season, where she averaged 10.9 points per game. Bird is also known as an elite 3-point shooter, shooting 49.7 percent in her sophomore year. Strong shoots far fewer 3s as a big, but it is definitely an impressive and growing part of her game, as she's shooting 41.1 percent this season.
Bird finished her sophomore season with 405 total points in 37 games. To put it into perspective, in the 19 games so far this year, Strong has a total of 354 points. There's a real chance Strong could double Bird's total career points. Bird finished all four years with 1378, and Strong is currently at 1011 halfway through her sophomore campaign.
Diana Taurasi (2000-2004)
Diana Taurasi is the epitome of a UConn legend. She became the first UConn player to reach 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, and 600 assists. Similar to Strong, she saw a slight jump in her averages from freshman to sophomore year. She went from averaging 10.9 points per game to 14.6 points the next year. In her sophomore year, she also shot 49.4 percent from the field. She truly improved every year, ultimately winning the championship in her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Strong is absolutely on that same track, as long as she can continue improving.
Maya Moore (2007-2011)
In Maya Moore's debut season at Connecticut, she averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor. She also improved her averages during her sophomore season, with 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds — shooting 52.1 percent from the field. Moore reached 1,000 points in her 55th games at UConn. Moore is one of the most comparable to Strong, given their abilities, size, and efficiency. Moore finished her college career with 3036 total points, currently holding the UConn record. With Strong at 1011 right now, there's a chance she eventually takes that record.
Breanna Stewart (2012-16)
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are the only players on this list to have also won a championship during their freshman seasons. Stewie actually never lost in a championship game, leaving UConn with four rings and four straight years of winning Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. She is similar to Strong in terms of early dominance. In her freshman season, Stewart averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and jumped to 19.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in her second year. At the end of her sophomore year, Stewart earned Player of the Year honors. Sarah Strong is a clear favorite for the 2026 NPOY award.
Napheesa Collier (2015-2019)
Napheesa Collier is, without a doubt, the most comparable UConn alum to Sarah Strong in recent years — especially in their sophomore campaigns. Phee is the only player on this list who averaged 20+ points per game in her sophomore year. Strong is currently averaging 18.6 points per game. With the upcoming tournaments where Strong will likely play more minutes, in more competitive scenarios, I strongly believe she'll be averaging 20 points by the end of the season.
Like Phee, Strong possesses dominance in the paint, both on offense and defense. Collier holds the UConn record for most rebounds in a single-season at 411. Last year, Strong came close to beating that with 356, earning herself the No. 5 spot on the all-time list. Right now, she has 158. She could get near that record mark again this year.
Overall, Sarah Strong will leave her mark at UConn. At the rate she is going, she will also likely be the No. 1 overall pick when she decides to declare for the WNBA Draft. On this list, Bird, Taurasi, Moore, and Stewart all went No. 1 in their respective years.
Last season, on Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's podcast, Phee shared her thoughts on Strong. She said, "Sarah is doing so well. I'm so impressed with her." She also took note of Strong's poise last year, "...she looks like she's been playing for a long time, and that's hard to do as a freshman and at UConn." Strong has yet to even reach her full potential, and she has already been praised by past UConn royalty as she's on the track to join them at the top.