Sarah Strong, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 high school class, has committed to play college basketball at UConn. Strong, who previously narrowed down her choices to a trio that also included Duke and North Carolina, announced her decision Saturday during the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals.
UConn may have lost last night, but they won this morning.
— Joe Doerrer (@jd3hoops) April 6, 2024
Receiving a commitment from the #1 ranked player in the 2024 class, Sarah Strong.
The 6’2 Forward is incredibly skilled in the low post, can handle the ball well for her size, and is a knockdown three point shooter. pic.twitter.com/26imcz8Ict
The decision capped a busy week for Strong, who was named co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game on Tuesday after finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds to lead the East team to victory. A few days later, she went off for 31 points and 19 rebounds in the opening round of the Chipotle Nationals as her Grace Christian School fell to IMG Academy.
Earlier this year, Strong was named Naismith Prep Player of the Year, joining an exclusive club alongside the likes of A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore and Candace Parker, and she became the first player ever to win North Carolina Miss Basketball in back-to-back years. Furthermore, Strong picked up her second consecutive Gatorade North Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year award.
Strong is a 6-foot-2 forward with a unique combination of skills who could best be described as a point forward. She's more than willing to use her size in the paint but is also a capable and confident 3-point shooter, as she showed in the McDonald's All-American Game. Though primarily a scorer at the high school level, she has strong playmaking chops as well.
She averaged 21.0 points, 16.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season as she led Grace Christian School to a perfect 30-0 record and a third consecutive state championship in North Carolina.
UConn saw its season come to an end Friday with a heartbreaking and controversial loss to Iowa in the Final Four. While Strong's committment doesn't make that defeat any easier, it does boost the Huskies' chances of getting back to the Final Four next season, and perhaps winning a national title for the first time since 2016.
