Sarah Strong is out-performing the hype

While expectations surrounding the freshman couldn't have been any higher, she's somehow played even better so far this season.

Photo: Ian Bethune

For the first time all season, Sarah Strong looked like a freshman on Saturday night. It just didn’t happen during UConn’s 85-52 win over No. 22 Louisville — she dropped 21 points on 8-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds and three assists in that contest.

Instead, it came afterwards in the postgame press conference.

“I think an underrated thing about Sarah is her hands — call her Go-Go Gadget arms,” Paige Bueckers said. “Whenever the ball comes off the rim, could be five feet away, she just grabs it and gets it.”

There was one problem: Strong didn’t understand the reference.

“I don’t know what that is,” she said, shaking her head.

“It’s this new generation of kids, man,” Bueckers jumped in.

“Kids? I’m an adult, thank you,” Strong shot back.

Geno Auriemma tried to explain it to Strong before she was eventually shown a photo, which didn’t help matters. The freshman let out an exasperated complaint under her breath which interrupted Bueckers’ answer of an unrelated question. Auriemma needled Bueckers, saying, “She’s not happy with you right now.”

The lighthearted moment was a rare reminder of Strong’s youth. Despite only being eight games into her college career, Strong already looks like a seasoned veteran. She’s averaging 16.3 points and is the only player on the team to reach double-figures in every contest. She leads the Huskies with a 57.3 field goal percentage, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks.

Beyond the numbers, Strong plays with hutzpah that’s well beyond her years.

“She doesn't think much when she plays, she just reacts,” Bueckers said. “You can tell she's been watching basketball, been around basketball. It's been a huge part of her life just by the way she plays.”

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