Sarah Strong officially signs with UConn

On Tuesday, UConn women’s basketball announced that Sarah Strong, the No. 1 player in the class of 2024, officially signed with the school. She announced her commitment to the Huskies back on Apr. 6.

“We’ve been very close with Sarah for a long time, and we’ve seen her grow and develop into as good a player out of high school as we’ve seen in quite some time,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a release. “The skill set that she has is both brand new and fits today’s game perfectly, and it’s also a throwback to an age when it didn’t matter what size players were, they played the entire game. They passed, they shot, they handled the ball, they rebounded. I think we’re getting a pretty special player and a special person.”

Strong solidifies a recruiting class for UConn that is ranked second in the nation by ESPN. The Huskies are also set to bring in guards Allie Ziebell (No. 7 in the class) and Morgan Cheli (No. 11). All three were named McDonald’s All-Americans.

“I think we filled a lot of the needs with this class,” Auriemma said. “The players we have can play multiple positions. Allie, Morgan and Sarah are all versatile. They can all put the ball in the basket and that’s a big priority for any program. To have three players coming in that can immediately have an impact on your team is pretty unique. I’m thrilled and I can’t wait to get started with them in June.”

Strong will be the third No. 1 recruit on UConn’s roster — joining Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers — and the program’s sixth in the last 10 years. A 6-2 forward out of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, Strong earned the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year Award and was named a McDonald’s, Naismith, SLAM and Jordan Brand All-American. She also brought home North Carolina Miss Basketball and North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors in both 2023 and 2024.

At Grace Christian School, Strong put up 23.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while winning the final 41 games of her high school career along with three state titles. On the international stage, she won gold with Team USA at the 2022 and 2023 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cups. She’ll also compete for a spot on the U18 National Team when trials begin on May 15.

In addition to the three freshmen, UConn will also add Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen for next season. The Huskies still one open scholarship remaining.