Sarah Strong’s career is on a purple patch at the moment, and her success is taking her to great heights both at college and internationally. At the UConn Huskies, she could replicate her success from last year. On the national front, Strong competed with the USA 3×3 women’s national team at the 2025 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and had a memorable outing, averaging 7.6 points (fourth in the tournament) and 7.8 rebounds, as the Americans finished with a 4-1 record.

Strong has been selected as the 2025 USA Basketball 3×3 Female Athlete of the Year.

Celebrating her success, the Huskies decided to share the occasion on X, accentuating Strong’s achievements. Well, this isn’t exactly the first time Strong has found success in the shorter basketball format. Her last two exploits in the national colors have seen her capture gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cups, and the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup title.

What makes Sarah Strong so exceptional is her versatility. She really lives up to her name in the truest sense, with elite court vision and all-around skill, from passing to shooting, making her a dangerous player. Her abilities have even drawn comparisons to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Just in her sophomore year, she has made a strong case for being one of the early leading candidates for National Player of the Year. The Madrid-born player was also the third player in UConn history to be named a WBCA All-American as a freshman. And after the season she had last year under Geno Auriemma, there was probably no other rival player who could’ve done it better statistically – 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.9 steals.

Strong’s stellar performances have also propelled her to the top of the Big East rankings, and she leads across the different disciplines, scoring (18.0), field-goal percentage (58.4), and steals (3.5), while ranking third in rebounds (8.1), assists (4.5), and blocked shots (1.6).

UConn knows about Strong’s importance on the roster and why she is so crucial to their team. Despite everything going right for the Huskies and players like Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, and Blanca Quinonez bolstering their ranks with their high-octane style of play, the team also has to contend with injuries, and this time it seems a sophomore has found herself in its grip.

UConn’s center to be out of action against St. John’s

Jana El Alfy will miss the game against St. John’s, sustaining a concussion after getting hit in the head with a pass while playing defense on Monday.

“Somebody threw a pass, and Jana wasn’t looking or something, or it was a bad pass,” Auriemma said, remorseful about the whole incident. “Anytime a pass hits somebody in the head, it’s a bad pass. Jana was just trying to play defense, and somebody threw a pass and just whacked her right in the head.”

This was a big blow as the Egyptian player had orchestrated some sublime performances for UConn, scoring 10 points with five or more rebounds in both wins last week. Against Providence on New Year’s Eve, El Alfy played a season-high 19 minutes and shot 5 of 6 from the floor while grabbing five rebounds. She repeated the performance at Seton Hall last Saturday, shooting 4 of 5 and had six boards in 17 minutes.

Top Stories

Andy Reid Fires Coach In Attempt to Rebuild Staff After Receiving HC Requests For Chiefs’ Coordinators

Sources: John Harbaugh Wasn’t Fired, Left Ravens After Refusing Major Staff Changes

Three Arrested in Cleveland For Burglary at Shedeur Sanders’ Home

Mike McDaniel Contract: How Much Do Miami Dolphins Owe the Fired Coach?

Bryson DeChambeau Releases Fresh Statement on His LIV Golf Future Post Brooks Koepka’s Exit

Jimmie Johnson Caught at Center of Fan Storm as NASCAR Controversial Rule Sparks Daytona Backlash

Notably, El Alfy hadn’t showcased such intensity in earlier phases, and, according to Auriemma, she had lost her confidence. While she has redeemed herself in the last few weeks by coming off the bench, she will miss today’s game, which will inevitably mean that Sarah Strong and Co. will have to do some heavy lifting on their end to take the Huskies to yet another win.