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Photo: Ian Bethune
On Monday, Geno Auriemma revealed that Sarah Strong wasn’t fully healthy during the NCAA Tournament. The calf tightness that kept her out of UConn’s win over Butler on Feb. 7 continued to affect her throughout the rest of the season.
“No excuses, but I would say the whole month of March, Sarah maybe practiced three days with us — full practice,” Auriemma said. “The rest of the time, we were trying to keep that inflammation that she had in her leg to a minimum.”
Given those lingering issues, Strong’s focus this summer will be on rest and recovery. She declined all opportunities with USA Basketball, though the coach didn’t say whether she’ll also be limited during the team’s offseason workouts in June.
“The plan for her this summer is to do as little as possible. This will be the first summer, probably since junior year in high school, where she's going to have the entire summer off and not do anything,” Auriemma explained. “No USA Basketball, no 3×3, no going to training camps, 5-on-5. So she's turned down pretty much every single thing.”
Even though Strong knew she needed the rest, she found it difficult to say no to all the opportunities that came her way. According to Auriemma, the rising junior struggled with the decision because she felt an obligation to USA Basketball and also worried about hurting her chances for future national team call-ups. Ultimately, Strong did what was best for herself.
“I said, ‘If I put you on the spot, do you want to do this or do you not want to do this? Forget what anybody's going to think of you,’” Auriemma recounted. “She goes, ‘I'd rather rest.’ But there's always that guilt that she feels when she feels like she's letting you down.”
Strong still had a stellar sophomore campaign in spite of the calf trouble. She was the consensus National Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-American.
Despite all the accolades, Strong’s season ended on a sour note when she put up just 12 points on 4-16 shooting in UConn’s Final Four loss to South Carolina. She grew so frustrated that she accidentally ripped her jersey after a missed shot and had to don a generic No. 55 top for the entire fourth quarter.
“It was the first game I've seen on her end where she got a little frustrated with the way the game was going,” Auriemma said. “I think that bothered her that she wasn't able to play at the level that she expects from herself and that we needed from her. Of all the time that she's been here, there's only been four losses in her college career. I think that one probably hit her the hardest.”
As painful as the loss was for Strong, Auriemma believes it’ll ultimately help her become a better player. He’s already seen her speak up more — “She’s become way more vocal now than she has ever been since she’s been here,” the coach said. The added rest won’t hurt, either.
“Sarah took all that on. She takes all that and personalizes it and internalizes it,” the coach said. “I think that she's going to turn that into a real positive going forward.”
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