Sarah Strong
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They have said off camera she is far from shy
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I'm not sure she is "shy" on camera. She definitely is humble, which I certainly admire.
huskeynut
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None of us really know who will step forward as a leader. None of us know the internal workings of the team. We will wait and see. Will it be KK or Ash or Sarah or all three? Oe somebody else.
The talent to be a dominante force in web is still there. It will take on a different form than we are use to. And each year sees the same thing. Seniors are gone, freshmen are in and an entirely new team will evolve.
Geno knows this all too well. He sits down with each player now that the season is over. Goals are formulated for each player with their input and knowledge. And leadership is always part of the equation.
I beleive UConn is a final four team for 2026.
Reasons; UConn is a stable program as far as player retention. UConn has the best coaching staff. UCLA has lost their freshman class to the portal, Souther California with be without JuJu and has lost at least 2 freshman plus seniors. South Carolina still does not have the dominant post player that Dawn has had for years. No gaurentees that Latson is SC's answer.
The talent to be a dominante force in web is still there. It will take on a different form than we are use to. And each year sees the same thing. Seniors are gone, freshmen are in and an entirely new team will evolve.
Geno knows this all too well. He sits down with each player now that the season is over. Goals are formulated for each player with their input and knowledge. And leadership is always part of the equation.
I beleive UConn is a final four team for 2026.
Reasons; UConn is a stable program as far as player retention. UConn has the best coaching staff. UCLA has lost their freshman class to the portal, Souther California with be without JuJu and has lost at least 2 freshman plus seniors. South Carolina still does not have the dominant post player that Dawn has had for years. No gaurentees that Latson is SC's answer.
PacoSwede
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my views 100% .... particularly the final graph, which makes a point i think many overlook. all these teams that are counting on portal pretties to boost their chances next season may in fact be undermining them. lots of teams could benefit, but for elite teams it well could backfire -- they face a big risk of ruining chemistry by bringing in superior talent, or even equal talent, to their big veteran stars or wanta-be stars. it can be done, but it's far from a good bet ... even if team spirit is maintained, the new blood has to be integrated into a new on-court reality, which is a tough task.
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I’d say Paige has this factor as well, but she was unfortunately injured just enough to only win one championship here. I wholeheartedly agree about the three you mentioned being standouts in a tier above the other UConn greats, and that Sarah is the next one up.
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I love the Barkley comparison. I was actually trying to think of a comp in the women's game the other day. The thing is she's a legit 6'2 so it's not like she's super undersized unless she's playing the 5. But she does have the guard skills. So even like an Alissa Pili who was inside and out and great inside isn't a great comp because she is like 6 ft max and also was not nearly as good defensively. I do think of Sarah as more post than guard or wing though. I think her jump shot is so pure, so even though I want to compare her to phee based on size (although she's still probably an inch taller)I just think she has a bit more guard skills. I also love that she has a different personality on the court. I know she said she used to trash talk and stuff. I think statistically she may not be much better year after year but she'll continue to get better. Kind of like Paige. Lastly and she won't get credit for this but I think her approach and demeanor probably helped a lot on this year's team. Of course Kaitlyn as well. But I feel like she never got too high or too low. She never played off the crowd or was trash talking or losing her head in the game. I thought in years past, especially because we had some fiery competitors (Nika, Paige, Dorka, Aaliyah) we would kind of get too high or to low and respond too much to the opponent or crowd. Admittedly this may be a reach and with depth instead of injuries things may have been different in past years like maybe the team's would have been able to sustain excellence longer. But yeah, this years team just put together long stretches of good basketball. I feel like all their wins were by double figures, and I think Sarah's consistency and overall steadiness was a big part of that.
Can you (or anyone) please expand upon the "huge upward trajectory" of Jana? I love her spirit and effort (especially the UCLA game) but I believe she scored zero points in most of the tournament games and was constantly in foul trouble. Why do people see an immediate jump to the next Tina Charles (or even that young lady at Iowa State)? Again, I love her effort and attitude and see no reason to increase from 4 points per game. Maybe it's just a different interpretation of "huge".
And if a frog had wings, it wouldn't have to bounce it's a__ on the ground.
Fingers crossed for just two strategic transfers and that a couple players mentioned above can just be healthy and happy.
MooseJaw
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The game is about so much more than scoring. While scoring is needed to win a game, there is passing, rebounds, defense, position and many more. Jana can improve or progress in many of these areas and she has. Also look at her attitude on court, is she controlling her position, does she have reasonable control of her opponent. Just a few of the many areas to look at. Jana seems to be on the rise, watch more than her point total, she does have at least a big 2 if not a big 4 players on the floor with her to put up points.
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And she’s probably getting more comfortable about not being hurt again. That can take much more time than you’d think.
Yeah. I'm a bit high on Jana but I see your point. The interesting thing about Jana is some of her best games were against the best competition. UCLA, the first South Carolina game, Ole Miss. Each were super big games and she did everything. She rebounded, scored, defended, screened against great players. To me, she has a lot to work with. She has post moves, a pretty good first step, and just overall good ball skills (in terms of ball handling and passing). She is physical and competitive. But ur right in that I think I compared her to Lobo before the season started and did need to simmer down. I was more so thinking of how they moved but Lobo was a lot more fluid. But I do think she can be a really good player. But I think if she plays 15-18 minutes again the expectations can't be to averages 12 and 8.
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lol don’t u know in this forum every player
has a huge upside and is like some past all american
jana did prove in the tournament that she could defend and rebound at a high level against good competition albeit for limited minutes
imho to improve
- she would have to show the ability to defend and rebound for 25 minutes
-consistently shoot the foul line jumper
-develop some kind of post up game
-feel double teams in the post and let the game slow down for her
-develop better”hands”
all of this is possible but not sure about the better hands part
for what it’s worth I thought her play in the first quarter against Betts what is the determining factor in the game and she shined in the biggest moment of the season
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She actually scored in 50% of the tournament games
I really do like to watch her try her best too and the UCLA game was a wonderful effort. I was primarily responding to the implications by many that she could be expected to be a really big part of replacing the loss of Paige and Chen next year. And that's a reason why UConn doesn't need to stoop to recruiting a transfer or two.
I think of Stephanie Dole (is that right) when I see her. I think she was a true center that wasn't super "smooth" at first but kept learning how to use her relative strengths to be an all-conference player in a couple of years. Is my recollection correct?
Ooops -- it was "Dolson". I found her stats and she averaged about 10 points and 6 rebounds her first two years. I think that would be a great goal and progress for Jana.
Sluconn Husky
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This is a nice analysis of Sarah’s game. One thing it reminds me of is the other bigs Geno used in recent years in the high post. Liv, Dorka and Aaliyah. None of them was nearly as effective in that role as Sarah. Don’t get me wrong — all three could be effective passers and screeners in the high post. But because Sarah is a threat to score in so many more ways, her effectiveness went beyond merely passing or screening. Her presence up there (or at the high elbow) distorts opposing defenses, since they have to over load whatever side she might go to. This past year, Ice or Jana sometimes gave Sarah a breather and when they did you could really see how an entire dimension of offense went to the bench.
Next season, I really hope someone can step up to provide some sort of offensive threat from the high post other than Azzi Sarah and Ash. I’m sure Geno is thinking about this even now. And Serah is not necessarily that person, as good as she is in the paint.
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That was a great day!
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Of course, I agree with you on those four but imo there are five. Paige has that extra something as well. I don’t think any of those players (Sarah’s story is still being written) surpass Paige’s “big game/big moment“ ability. It is difficult to believe we have had, again imo, five players like Dee, Maya, Stewie, Paige, and now Sarah over a 25 year period.
Almost as impressive, is the number of great players who occupy the rungs just beneath those “top five”, Sue (who really imo deserves a rung to herself, Rebecca (the first) Shea, Swin, Svetlana, Nykesha, Stef, Rene, Mo, …. the list goes on and on!
This team (and we the fans) have been truly blessed to have had this unbelievable collection of, not just talented players but also outstanding people over the years. Of course, we have also been blessed with the two people who have been both the architects and the guiding force behind all of this; Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey! It is very exciting that even after all this, UConn is still going Strong
and there is still no end in sight!
Sluconn Husky
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Sluconn Husky
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Allison Feaster and her Harvard team (#16) was able to overcome Stanford (#1), but in this 3:16 of video, Sarah Strong and her UConn team was able to overcome three #1 seeds as a #2 seed. Got to be a proud moment for Sarah's parents!!!
Hopefully, it will be proud moments for the parents of the 5 newcomers (should Kayleigh Heckel commit before time runs out on May 21, 2025) in Phoenix next April!
Go Huskies!!!
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Sorry but Paige doesn't even come close to "big game/big moment" compared to DT..whats more the Mt.Rushmore of Uconn players can only have 4..hence the name "Mt.Rushmore"..Paige is on the next level along with her 1 NatyOf course, I agree with you on those four but imo there are five. Paige has that extra something as well. I don’t think any of those players (Sarah’s story is still being written) surpass Paige’s “big game/big moment“ ability. It is difficult to believe we have had, again imo, five players like Dee, Maya, Stewie, Paige, and now Sarah over a 25 year period.
Almost as impressive, is the number of great players who occupy the rungs just beneath those “top five”, Sue (who really imo deserves a rung to herself, Rebecca (the first) Shea, Swin, Svetlana, Nykesha, Stef, Rene, Mo, …. the list goes on and on!
This team (and we the fans) have been truly blessed to have had this unbelievable collection of, not just talented players but also outstanding people over the years. Of course, we have also been blessed with the two people who have been both the architects and the guiding force behind all of this; Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey! It is very exciting that even after all this, UConn is still going Strong