PHOENIX — TWO DAYS prior to the Final Four, Sarah Strong’s anxiety was so profound that she lost her appetite.
However, the UConn Huskies’ star player wasn’t apprehensive regarding her squad’s impending national semifinal contest against South Carolina. Nor was she troubled that the Huskies were two victories away from an unblemished season and securing successive NCAA championships.
The reason was entirely unrelated to basketball. Strong abhors public speaking.
Strong was on the verge of being bestowed the Naismith Trophy as the national player of the year. The recognition event honoring her and other award contenders was fast approaching. She would need to ascend the platform to accept her trophy and deliver a few comments before an audience.
In essence: an amalgamation of circumstances that Strong — renowned for her reticent public persona, concise news conference responses, and aversion to public attention — would much rather circumvent.
“It’s the most peculiar aspect,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma remarked last month. “In principle, those two concepts are incongruous: ‘I desire to be the top player in the nation,’ yet when individuals exclaim, ‘Oh, that’s Sarah Strong, she’s the premier player in the nation'” — Auriemma physically flinches as he mimics Strong — “she shrinks from it.”
Should they have ever existed, the days of Strong remaining in the background have vanished. Her innate ability rendered that unfeasible. Last April, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley judged her able to be the finest talent to emerge from UConn — and Strong has done nothing to disprove that perception. Pacing the No. 1 Huskies in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks, Strong has claimed all national player of the year accolades thus far.
None of that holds significance for Strong — she might be the sole individual to characterize triumphing in the Naismith as an “interesting ancillary endeavor.” Yet, her evolution both on and off the court into the luminary the Huskies require her to be could be the linchpin for the resurgence of a dynasty, should everything unfold as intended this weekend for UConn in Phoenix.
“She’s a youngster who somewhat desires to blend in,” stated North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, who sought to enlist Strong during her high school tenure in Durham with the aim of retaining her within the state. “I believe she now perceives that her interpretation of blending in actually involves simply excelling beyond all others.
“I think she is just commencing to grasp the prowess embodied by Sarah Strong.”
AZZI FUDD FELT UNCERTAIN what to make of Strong when they shared a room during the Huskies’ excursion to the Bahamas last Thanksgiving. Even though they were bunkmates for a week, Fudd reckons most of their dialogues endured for merely about 30 seconds.
Other teammates recount comparable anecdotes regarding their initial interactions with Strong. For Allie Ziebell, a peer in her second year who made her official campus tour to Storrs with Strong, the amalgamation of their reserved temperaments created a challenging duo. “Frankly, I feel like every exchange I had with Sarah prior was so uncomfortable,” Ziebell stated, chuckling.
Redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy, conversely, encountered Strong at a FIBA event in Hungary prior to their time as Huskies and mused, “She either detests me or is merely reserved.”
Once on campus, Strong shed her reserve outside of games. The Huskies characterize her as playful and silly, someone who can readily acquire novel proficiencies and distinguishes herself — nearly vexingly — in every endeavor she attempts. Ziebell portrays her as the initial friend to inquire about someone’s well-being when they’re experiencing a difficult period.
On the court, Strong’s adaptability, tactical acumen, and fluidity were immediately evident.
“[If] you’re crafting an athlete, how could you fashion something any distinct, any superior?” Auriemma recently remarked. Yet, competing alongside prominent veteran players Fudd and Paige Bueckers, the previous year’s premier WNBA draft selection, implied Strong often conceded to others.
“Typically, as a first-year player, you arrive wanting to earn everyone’s esteem,” Bueckers informed ESPN. “You don’t wish to encroach on others’ roles… I wanted her to perceive it as her team, such that she felt sufficiently assured to command a contest and wasn’t compelled to, for instance, yield to Paige, yield to Azzi.”
That transformation took place last March. Strong amassed 22 points and 17 rebounds in the Elite Eight and 24 points and 15 rebounds in the championship final. She departed Tampa, Florida, with a compelling argument to be named Final Four most outstanding player — and with observers pondering how she could surpass her inaugural year’s performance.
WITH BUECKERS HAVING MOVED ON to the WNBA and the squad preparing for Fudd’s exit, a more assertive second-year campaign for Strong was an imperative. She needed to grow more self-assured and resolute, more at ease not merely setting an example through actions but also in articulating her thoughts.
Moreover, she had to accept dominating contests when the Huskies required it — even if that felt contrary to her disposition as, in Banghart’s estimation, an individual “as selfless as any on the planet.”
“Her primary shortcoming is her altruism,” Bueckers commented, “and I believe that is also her greatest asset.”
“I think, additionally, [it entails] assisting in the reinterpretation of what constitutes selfishness,” further stated Allison Feaster, Strong’s mother and a distinguished Harvard alumna who for two seasons topped national scoring charts in the 1990s. “If your team requires your points, if your team requires you to possess the ball, the team needs you to exert strain on the opposing squad’s defense in any manner whatsoever, then acting contrarily, in my view, is being selfish.”
Gradually, Strong has blossomed — and demonstrated her capability as the preeminent force in the game. Her 31 career contests scoring a minimum of 20 points are equaled by Breanna Stewart for the highest tally for a UConn athlete during their initial two campaigns with the program over the past 25 seasons. With 26 additional points, she can surpass Chamique Holdsclaw’s achievement for most points through a player’s first two NCAA tournaments.
“She’s considerably more at ease in her own skin, genuinely herself,” UConn junior Ashlynn Shade stated. “I believe that’s also manifested in her on-court performance, because she’s simply so formidable, so robust, so self-assured, that she’s just invincible.”
And when UConn has required her leadership most acutely in March, Strong has produced results.
In the Sweet 16, the Huskies fell behind following the initial quarter solely for the second occasion this campaign, their offense disorganized against North Carolina’s unyielding defense. Strong netted three consecutive scores in the second quarter and tallied 11 points during the interval to shift the advantage and impetus towards UConn.
The Huskies were leading 28-20 at the intermission, and Strong voiced her thoughts in the locker room prior to Auriemma’s entry, informing her teammates that if they executed their strategy, the Tar Heels would be powerless to halt them. Following the triumph, she characterized that instance as possibly the initial occasion this season she felt at ease expressing herself in such an environment.
“I’m not inclined to be the most vocal speaker, but if I offer occasional remarks, they are quite influential when I do,” Strong stated. “I understand that team regards me and Azzi highly, so we endeavor to provide effective leadership.”
Two
days later, the Huskies found themselves in an arduous struggle against Notre Dame. Initially, they struggled to provide Strong with scoring opportunities. Her weary legs, a consequence of playing 38 minutes in the preceding encounter, she confessed post-game, rendered her less dynamic than was customary.
Nonetheless, she understood her team depended on her performance. Consequently, in the second half, she propelled herself to achieve 15 of UConn’s 38 points. After clinching the victory, she located her mother in the stands, hunched over the courtside statistics table in utter fatigue. “You persevered, dear,” Feaster remarked to her, as Strong mopped her forehead and sighed in relief.
“She understands that during crucial game moments, she bears an enormous obligation,” Auriemma stated. “While some players recoil from such pressure, she embraces it.”
Feaster and Auriemma are convinced she doesn’t perceive it as pressure. Instead, they explain, she views it simply as undertaking whatever is necessary for victory.
“I genuinely believe her personal accomplishments don’t truly register in her mind,” Feaster remarked. “I’m unsure how she even contemplated becoming a national champion in her debut season. The individual recognition is simply not a motivating factor for her.”
Her unflappability and serenity, consequently, have shaped the squad’s demeanor this season, enabling the Huskies to bear the weight of an unblemished record with a noticeable simplicity that has astonished even Auriemma.
“Sarah possesses a degree of self-assurance that, I believe, elevates them to a state they could not attain independently or with perhaps a different leader,” Auriemma stated. “Therefore, they perform with assurance, aware of her presence, and that is likely the most fitting commendation I can offer her.”
STRONG’S COLLEAGUES WITHDRAW their phones from their pockets and hold them prepared. The Naismith event representative is poised to declare the season’s top player. Strong awaits expectantly.
The Huskies rise, cheering vociferously, as Strong’s appellation is announced, and she ascends the platform. They commence shouting, “speech! speech! speech!”
Strong advances to the rostrum and stands erect, resolute. She had dedicated the previous day to crafting some comments with UConn’s athletic media liaison. Strong delivers a brief message—”My words are few, yet my affection for you all is sincere,” she conveys to her teammates upon concluding—before resuming her place with a grin.
These were not the final set of obligations for Strong. Naismith representatives request her participation in a press tour, engaging with regional journalists, CBS, and even an exchange with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. Further engagements awaited the following day. She is acclaimed the Associated Press player of the year, as well as the recipient of the Wade Trophy as the season’s top performer—entailing additional galas, more cheering applause, increased media interaction, and further gratitude addresses.
During the Wade Trophy celebrations—scarcely a full day prior to the semifinal match against South Carolina—she is queried regarding her desire to offer any comments.
“No,” she replies, “I have spoken sufficiently.”
She is reserving her remaining efforts for the playing field.