North Carolina Coach Claims UConn's Sarah Strong is Primed For Paige Bueckers Acclaim
The No. 2 ranked UConn Huskies women's basketball team is a few hours away from facing the No. 14-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in Greensboro, Connecticut.
This will be the first true challenge that Geno Auriemma's 2-0 Huskies squad has had in the 2024-25 season, as they have beaten their previous two opponents by a combined 91 points.
One of the most exciting aspects of UConn's early season success is the performance of freshman Sarah Strong. She was the No. 1-ranked recruit in ESPN's 2024 recruiting class and has lived up to these lofty expectations by averaging 15 points per game across her first two college contests, which only trails UConn star Paige Bueckers' 17.5 points per game.
Strong's strong start has caught the attention of North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart, who offered high praise of the freshman during a recent interview.
"Sarah is the first No. 1 player to come out of the state of North Carolina. It really came down to us and [UConn], in the end. It's a kid and a family that we really hold dear, so it's the only game on the schedule that I won't be rooting really hard for her," Banghart said, per X user @JN21666.
"She's a lovable kid whose got a generational type talent. She'll be a real joy for everybody to watch throughout her career. But yeah, she's a formidable matchup," Banghart added.
"[She's] a little bit like Paige. I know she plays the game differently, but what makes Sarah special is a lot of the things that make Paige special, in that she's really gifted generationally on the offensive side of the ball. In terms of her feel, and her instinct, and her ability to make the right play... but also she's a true three-point threat. She's one of the best shooters you'll see, and that's spanning the duration of my life in coaching," Banghart added.
"As soon as Paige isn't getting all the attention, Sarah will be quickly behind as one of the gifted players in our game," Banghart concluded.
Aww this is what she said about Sarah🥹 (she’s absolutely right about everything she said too!!) https://t.co/2FDzxL4HTA pic.twitter.com/A5id4I1YRb
— J (@JN21666) November 14, 2024
While that's extremely high praise to live up to, Strong has already shown that she's capable of doing so.
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.