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Geno Auriemma Reveals How UConn Got Sarah Strong Over Dawn Staley, South Carolina

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma spoke about top freshman Sarah Strong choosing his team instead of Dawn Staley's South Carolina squad.

Grant Young

Apr 1, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma speaks to the media after defeating the Stanford Cardinal in the Final Four semifinals of the women's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma speaks to the media after defeating the Stanford Cardinal in the Final Four semifinals of the women's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ahead of her team's February 16 game against the UConn Huskies women's basketball team, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley lamented top recruit-turned-star freshman Sarah Strong deciding to play for Geno Auriemma instead of her, especially considering Staley's family ties with Strong.

"As far as Allison, I don't know how we don't get Sarah Strong, right?" Staley said. She's referring to Sarah Strong's mom Allison Feaster, who was teammates with Staley on the WNBA's Charlotte Sting franchise for five seasons.

"I don't. But [UConn] did a great job recruiting her. I think she felt comfortable there, and it seems like a really good fit for her, and her being able to utilize all of her skill set," Staley added.

"And I haven't talked to Allison since. No, I'm kidding!" she said while laughing.

Auriemma is certainly feeling good about Strong's college decision. And during his March 30 appearance on the Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast, Auriemma explained how he landed Strong over Staley.

"Yeah. I think you get some that you're supposed to get. You don't get some that you're supposed to get, you think you should get," Auriemma said when Sarah Spain mentioned Staley's aforementioned comments about Strong. "One of the things that I think helped us was we saw Sarah when no one else knew who she was. I remember calling USA basketball when she was a sophomore, and I said 'Hey, you guys have this thing with 15-Under's... you're missing a kid on the list.'

"And they're like 'Oh, yeah, she's one of those on the list of keep an eye on'," Auriemma continued. "I go 'Good, you just keep an eye on her, okay?' Because the less people that know about her, the better."

He later added, "Obviously, I have a soft spot for USA basketball, and I thought 'This kid is better than the kids you have out there.'"

Apparently, Auriemma believes his early investment in Strong is what ultimately convinced her to join his UConn squad instead of what Staley has built at South Carolina.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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