Who will Sarah Strong pick?

[ScottCT]

You are on a UConn board how did you think the votes were going to go any other way?

 

[FormerCTrez]

As a Notre Dame fan, whose team plays in the ACC, I'd love to have her NOT be in our conference.
That sentiment aside, I could see her fitting in with all three teams:

• Her all-round technical ability and three-stage game would work with UConn;
• North Carolina has a mess of bigs which would give her virtual carte blanche. Plus, she'll take over the Alyssa Ustyby-forward all over the court role; and,
• Duke has a young squad of athletic guards/wings that could use Strong.

UConn allure is strong, but I can sense Duke sneaking up...Stay tuned.

p.s. I watched some footage of her recently and she does a lot of things that Maddy Westbeld does for the Irish, including solid rebounding and dribbling/passing, in addition to three-tier scoring. Great prospect.

That bolded “NOT” brings me chuckles

 

[Veteran]

To say that is extremely unlikely, would be an understatement.

I didn't say it was likely. I said it wouldn't surprise me. There's a difference. And I said what I said out of deep respect and admiration for the person and teammate Paige is. I wouldn't change a word of what I said.

 

[Cuango]

I must say, this latest paredown to Duke, NC, and UConn has raised my hopes that we will eventually get Ms Strong! I still think it’s very possible she doesn’t come but this list at least gives me a little more hope that she will! It’s puzzling to me that she would consider a school with essentially a rookie head coach. I greatly respect Kara but I don’t believe she is (as yet) close to the coaches that helm UConn or North Carolina!

 

[Cuango]

I’ve seen no indication that she is a player that wants to be “the star”. In fact, I believe she is a lot like Paige, a team oriented player who enjoys making other players better!

 

[ec33]

Classic throw of bone to the locals before announcing her actual decision.

And people - I am as critical of Geno as anyone and even I am fully confident the man can count to 15. Geno knows more about the next year's roster than you do.

 

[Longtime fan]

I picked Duke. I don't believe she is coming to UCONN but I have no clue. SHe is perfect for this team. Everything is set up perfectly for her at UCONN. She has the chance to be the #1 option in year 2 on a powerhouse team playing in an open offense with a coach that loves coaching offensive basketball with an enormous hsitory of all-time success on team level and pro level. An Offense that fits her style with players that support her style from all over the floor.

Notto mention the #1 option player would prefer to pass the ball to her rather than shoot. The # option will set up a player liek neveer be set up before.

I agree that she is not going to select UCONN. If she was going to do that, I believe it would have already happened. I think she now looks at UCONN and sees that the post position is " crowded". ICE Brady is emerging as a talent, and Jana is perceived as a wild card, who might just be " surprisingly good." Likely Duke and UNC offer better opportunities for her to start as a freshman. Duke is probably the most attractive. Great coach

 

[Drumguy]

Whole lotta thoughts on this one -

• What if she made the decision a while back, and Geno said, great, but just make sure?
• What if this was always her final list, however went on visits to other schools to ensure her instincts were correct, that she wasn't missing anything?
• Maybe LSU & SC were on her list until this week, for reasons we'll never know?
• Perhaps she wanted to get through her HS season without any targeted (something) to her?
• If it's UConn, maybe Geno said wait a bit, as if she declared, it would raise a whole host of other questions on the roster for next season, and the coaches have been holding this team together with duct tape, bubble gum, wishes, prayers, hopes, dreams, luck, and didn't want yet another distraction?

Unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time that an "official" list has been released.

I also wonder if she was waiting on Edwards decision as it absolutely impacted potential playing time.

 

[Zarathustra]

To not screw with the mojo gods I am abstaining. As far as scholarships go there is talk about a UConn player hitting the portal, but I don't dabble in such and especially not here!

Prudent... Very PRUDENT.

 

[TN-Gamecock]

I voted for Duke but my gut is still telling me UCONN....

I hope she goes to UCONN so that we can get back to a #1 vs #2....Gamecocks and Huskies. No other school other than maybe Stanford gets me pumped up. I don't care for the ACC teams we've played as they are mediocre at best when it comes to excitement of fans, sheer number of fans, and rivalry. As I said, give me UCONN, Stanford with UCLA, IOWA, OSU...the rest...Yawn...

 

[TN-Gamecock]

Sarah will pick : UCONN 1, Duke 2, UNC 3. If she goes to UNC, there will not be enough support around her to get to a NCAA Championship....(that's the problem with IOWA. Caitlin is the GOAT but supporting cast is weak).

If she goes to UCONN, they will be an instant contender with Carolina.

 

[Cuango]

I agree that she is not going to select UCONN. If she was going to do that, I believe it would have already happened. I think she now looks at UCONN and sees that the post position is " crowded". ICE Brady is emerging as a talent, and Jana is perceived as a wild card, who might just be " surprisingly good." Likely Duke and UNC offer better opportunities for her to start as a freshman. Duke is probably the most attractive. Great coach

? Not sure how Lawson qualifies as a “great” coach! I like her and believe she may eventually become a great coach but she is not one yet.

 

[Dogdude]

I don't put much stock ion kids who want to be the "star" right out of the gate. Kids choose Uconn because they want to be coached hard, and become the best they can be. This is why pro coaches love drafting Uconn players. They're ready to be as great as they possibly can be. Uconn players also have no problem attracting top MIL deals, assuming they have the talent and social media following. You can choose to be a star on a team for a couple of years, or a star for your whole life, and the great coaches produce players that get the whole package. Summit, Geno, and now Staley all produce that. If any player really wants to be the best they can be, Uconn is a logical choice over the other two listed.

 

[Heytherego]

Sarah will pick : UCONN 1, Duke 2, UNC 3. If she goes to UNC, there will not be enough support around her to get to a NCAA Championship....(that's the problem with IOWA. Caitlin is the GOAT but supporting cast is weak).

If she goes to UCONN, they will be an instant contender with Carolina.

Iowa made it to the national championship last year?

 

[Zarathustra]

I agree that she is not going to select UCONN. If she was going to do that, I believe it would have already happened. I think she now looks at UCONN and sees that the post position is " crowded". ICE Brady is emerging as a talent, and Jana is perceived as a wild card, who might just be " surprisingly good." Likely Duke and UNC offer better opportunities for her to start as a freshman. Duke is probably the most attractive. Great coach

Sorry, this is not my opinion. One reason is N. Collier, WNBA All Star, another is Dorka Juhasz, WNBA All Rookie team,
a third is BUCKETS, ALL AMERICAN, and there is the great team chemistry at UCONN. I assume Ms. Strong wants to be
developed into the best player she can be... but ... I also believe that coming to Storrs will be the best bet that Sarah and the
Huskies will have for multiple National Championships. Sarah will go where she thinks is in her best interests. Big
decisions can be very hard to make.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I agree that she is not going to select UCONN. If she was going to do that, I believe it would have already happened. I think she now looks at UCONN and sees that the post position is " crowded". ICE Brady is emerging as a talent, and Jana is perceived as a wild card, who might just be " surprisingly good." Likely Duke and UNC offer better opportunities for her to start as a freshman. Duke is probably the most attractive. Great coach

Longtime fan- - -Sarah is NOT a post player!
She at 6'2" is a wing or small forward!
She'd be with Caroline, Aubrey, Paige, and maybe Azzi!
She answered a ? awhile back when asked about being a post player at 6'2" that she is not a post player!
Of course with Geno having position less players, everyone rotates through a progression so Bigs can play anyone of 3 spots C/PF/SF, and Smalls can play at anyone of 3 spots PG/SG/W! Looking at all 3 programs, UConn, Duke, and NoCar, though those 2 other programs are building UConn has a long history of getting players in the WNBA & the world stage, and if looking at their respective rosters for 2024-2025, UConn is already loaded for bear!
The only ? is health!

 

[hoopsdiva]

One of the advantages that UConn has traditionally had in recruiting is that great players want to play for the best, with the best, and against the best. So playing for Geno and CD is a major plus, especially with the reputation that they have for preparing WNBA- ready players. But who knows how long they'll be around? So far as playing with the best, having Paige for an additional year can only be a plus. But as for playing against the best, the Big East is a definite disadvantage for us.

 

[Dillon77]

That bolded “NOT” brings me chuckles

Couldn't resist (she's really good....)

 

[TN-Gamecock]

One of the advantages that UConn has traditionally had in recruiting is that great players want to play for the best, with the best, and against the best. So playing for Geno and CD is a major plus, especially with the reputation that they have for preparing WNBA- ready players. But who knows how long they'll be around? So far as playing with the best, having Paige for an additional year can only be a plus. But as for playing against the best, the Big East is a definite disadvantage for us.

The problem, you do not play the best teams due to your conference affiliation. I'm not dismissing UCONN in any way but if UCONN played in the SEC or B10, they would not dominate.

 

[JellyBean]

Naturally I would love for her to come to UConn, but I picked Duke. Coach Lawson is a building something special at Duke and with Toby Fournier and Strong, those two talented young ladies could be the pieces for Coach Lawson to launch Duke Women's basketball to greater levels.

 

[Roundball fan]

I think we will be much Stronger next year.

 

[Alydar]

The problem, you do not play the best teams due to your conference affiliation. I'm not dismissing UCONN in any way but if UCONN played in the SEC or B10, they would not dominate.

UConn has a higher SOS than most P-5 teams. SCar had one SEC game against a ranked team this season. UConn had 3 games against ranked BE teams. The SEC is better than the BE but UConn's schedule over the last 20 years has been tougher than any SEC team.
I give SCar credit for scheduling a tough OOC schedule but there are more SEC schools like LSU than like SCar.

 

[maple]

The problem, you do not play the best teams due to your conference affiliation. I'm not dismissing UCONN in any way but if UCONN played in the SEC or B10, they would not dominate.

 

[CAbballfan2]

I voted for Duke but my gut is still telling me UCONN....

I hope she goes to UCONN so that we can get back to a #1 vs #2....Gamecocks and Huskies. No other school other than maybe Stanford gets me pumped up. I don't care for the ACC teams we've played as they are mediocre at best when it comes to excitement of fans, sheer number of fans, and rivalry. As I said, give me UCONN, Stanford with UCLA, IOWA, OSU...the rest...Yawn...

Iowa is still going to bring excitement even with Clark gone next year?

 

[Zarathustra]

One of the advantages that UConn has traditionally had in recruiting is that great players want to play for the best, with the best, and against the best. So playing for Geno and CD is a major plus, especially with the reputation that they have for preparing WNBA- ready players. But who knows how long they'll be around? So far as playing with the best, having Paige for an additional year can only be a plus. But as for playing against the best, the Big East is a definite disadvantage for us.

THE BIG EAST is the BIG EAST.... But... UCONN's OOC schedule is among the BEST. And... Those
pre-Conference tournaments are " mini- NCAA" events. Remember: UCLA, TEXAS,
North Carolina, The Gamecocks, The "IRISH", etc. Do you expect UCONN to play
a top 10 program every weekend? UCONN already plays a selection from the BEST of
those other conferences... don't you remember UCONN beating IOWA in an early season
game in 2022 - 2023?