UConn Recruit offers

ESPN: Stars of the Summer Circuit: www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38286254/stars-2023-summer-circuit
This was written on August 29, before they won:

Sarah Strong
ESPN HoopGurlz No. 1
6-2
Forward
Grace Christian Sanford (NC) | Team Lady Strong

Strong has emerged as the No. 1 player in the 2024 class. In today's atmosphere, she has taken a different path to get there: choosing to stick with her independent club program rather than joining one of the established circuits. They set out to create a competitive schedule during the club season that included her participation in USA Basketball 3X3 as well as elite camps. The schedule has shown what many believed to be a possibility for a few years now: She is the best player in her class.

Strong is a unique combination of brute strength and a feathery touch. She carves out space for rebounds and bangs inside, but on the next possession can create space for a swish from 3 off the dribble. The most amazing part of her game is arguably her passing, however. She rarely misses a cutting or court-sprinting teammate. If a teammate is open -- whether it be in the half-court or for a long outlet -- she can deliver the ball, and with precision.

She was named MVP of Eurocamp where she averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. Strong brings more than just her skills to the floor. There is a cerebral approach to the flow of the game that allows her team to find mismatches as well as make adjustments on the fly which, in turn, makes the game easier for everyone around her.

At first glance, it can appear Strong only moves at her pace. If really studied over the course of some time, however, it is evident she is just analyzing the game at hand. She is letting the game find its flow, and then flips the switch to attack vulnerabilities in the opponent game plan. It is no secret that she will be an integral part of her team's attack early on in a game and while the opponent shows their hand it would almost be counterintuitive for her to be overly aggressive, which some mistake that for a laziness. If you watch over the course of the game, it is anything but that. There are flashes of that competitive fire and then it is clear when she has decided to put a team away.

In fairness, sometimes this would last too long in the past and she has been challenged to make that adjustment, which is where we have seen the growth. Strong will participate on the U18 3X3 World Cup team for a second year in a row. They will compete starting Aug. 30 in Hungary.

Sarah is considering UConn, South Carolina, LSU, North Carolina, Louisville, NC State, and UCLA.

copying here what rukia posted in a different thread:

Well, we didn't need Williams, but we do need Strong. Oh, when will we know? November? I noticed that Harvard is no longer on her list, right?

aubreyfan spotted this one. She's a really, really serious guard in the class of 2026

http://instagram.com/p/CwvFAWwuU5l

   I understand your putting the tallest players at center but the 2 pf's are both a lot stronger than the 6'5's. I'd say that all four should be listed as 4's and rotate them during games. Most wcbb teams play without a center. Del Rosario is but from what I saw she's a year away from being a worry. Cardoso is also a center. 
   I think there is a lot more elite talent at 6'2-6'4 than 6'5+. And when you get to 6'7+ injuries become much more common. 

  Malou-Mamel  is already in the pack. You just have to wait. I also feel good about Vukoso. 

  

    

    UConn has had a lot of luck with Euro's lately. Geno likes their maturity. Senechal, Muhl and Juhasz have all done very very well.   

? Luck vs Development. Who claimed development?

I'm thinking that there are 3 bigs/biggish in the class of 2024 that are still out there and that UConn has expressed interest in: Strong (more a power forward), Koval (a true 5) and Ariana Roberson, who is a 4/5. Roberson is completely under the radar, but I'd be pretty pleased if we offered and she accepted.

Really good point! The problem with 8 out of the 10 top-ranked 2024 players not yet committed is that there will suddenly be a stampede in November and a lot of jockeying for the rest of them. Roberson may not get an offer, depending on how Strong or Koval breaks.

As much as I'm a fan of Roberson--from the tapes I've watched--there's no question in my mind that Strong would make a bigger impact. She's a serious baller who comes to play...and dominate.

There is no evidence that Koval is a UConn target. And there is even less evidence that Koval is interested in UConn.

Miami is an interesting choice, not sure what she sees there other than maybe location. Maybe. We visited University of Miami when my youngest was looking at colleges. I was not impressed. I found the students to be very elitist and stand-offish. The student who did our tour looked like she just rolled out of bed and would rather be anywhere than leading a group of high schoolers on a tour of campus. Rote memorization and boredom was the overall sales pitch vibe. My son hated the look and feel of the campus. And the presentation by the school kept pounding home that Miami was very selective in admissions, and only the best of the best are accepted. I laughed and thought they had quite the opinion of themselves. It was crossed off his list almost as soon as he stepped foot on campus for the visit.

I hope she ends up at Stanford. Pretty much would hate to see her at ND or LSU. But Miami isn't a bad choice either - if we want to be sure we don't play against her as an OOC opponent.

A kid from New York that has no interest in UConn. Pretty much less than zero for me.