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Why Dawn Staley thinks freshman Sarah Strong could become the best UConn player ever

Paige Bueckers called Sarah Strong's trajectory "extremely scary." Dawn Staley said the freshman could become the best UConn player ever. Here's why.

Makenzy Wolford  |  Special to USA Today
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  • UConn freshman Sarah Strong is averaging a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament.
  • The forward holds UConn records for most rebounds by a freshman (341) and second-most assists (137) by a freshman.
  • South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says Strong might become the best player to come out of UConn.
  • Paige Bueckers said "the fact that she’s going to get better is extremely scary.”

Editor’s note: Follow UConn vs. South Carolina live updates from the women’s NCAA championship game.

TAMPA, Florida — When the confetti falls Sunday after the national championship game, fifth-year senior Paige Bueckers will pass the UConn torch to freshman Sarah Strong, the Huskies' newest rising star.

Dawn Staley, whose Gamecocks will face Strong and the Huskies in the national championship game, is intimately familiar with what Strong brings to the game. Strong’s mother, Allison Feaster, is a friend and former Charlotte Sting teammate of Staley's. 

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Staley watched Strong grow up and saw her work up close when the Gamecocks lost to the Huskies in mid-February. She is all the more impressed with the forward, who is averaging a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament and joined Maya Moore as the only freshman in UConn history to score more than 600 points in a season.

“The (basketball) IQ is off the charts,” Staley said Saturday. “The skill set, off the charts. Big play after big play after big play.”

In that mid-February matchup, Strong earned a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. She now holds UConn records for most rebounds by a freshman (341) and second-most assists (137) by a freshman.

“The foundation she’s laid as a freshman is unreal,” Bueckers said. “The fact that she’s going to get better is extremely scary.”

On the season, Strong averages 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 58.4% from the floor, including 37.9% from 3. Staley acknowledged that even though Breanna Stewart won four national titles in her time with the Huskies, Strong could one day surpass the now two-time WNBA MVP winner. 

“In the next three years, she might be the best player to come out of UConn,” Staley said. 

South Carolina vs. UConn time, TV channel, how to watch

  • Time, date: 3 p.m. ET | Sunday, April 6
  • TV Channel: ABC
  • Live Stream: Fubo - Watch Now!

South Carolina vs. UConn predictions

Makenzy Wolford is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.

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