Geno Auriemma dodges directly addressing beating Dawn Staley, South Carolina in recruiting Sarah Strong to UConn

UConn coach Geno Auriemma dodged a question about beating South Carolina coach Dawn Staley in recruiting Sarah Strong by revealing how the Huskies forward was bypassed even by the USA Basketball committee handling the youth program.

During his interview on the Mar. 20 episode of the "Good Game with Sarah Spain" podcast, Auriemma was asked about Strong's commitment to his program, even though her mother, Allison Feaster-Strong, was a former roommate of Staley during her time with the WNBA.

"One of the things that I think helped us was, we saw Sarah when no one else knew who she was," Auriemma said (23:50). "I remember calling USA Basketball when she was going to be a sophomore and say 'Hey, you guys have this thing with 15 and under and 16 and unders or whatever. You're missing a kid on the list. And they'll like, 'Oh yeah uh.'"

The UConn coach said that she was one of the players who was on the watchlist.

"I go: 'Good, you just keep an eye on her,' because the less people who know about her, the better," he said.

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UConn coach Geno Auriemma brands Sarah Strong a generational player

Sarah Strong has developed into a top rookie in the 2024-25 college basketball season, averaging 16.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. She is one of the catalysts for the Huskies winning a Big East regular season-tournament double championship this year.

Geno Auriemma said he is more than blessed to have the 6-foot-2 freshman with his team, as he describes Strong as a generational talent.

"Kids her size are not supposed to be able to handle the ball the way she handles it," Auriemma said (22:11). "Not supposed to pass the way she passes. They are not supposed to shoot it the way she shoots it. Be as smart as she is. See things develop before they develop. And not at that age."

The veteran coach said Strong's personality allows her to step into big moments and handle them perfectly. He praised her, saying she is set to take the lead after Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd finish their stints at UConn.

The freshman has played excellently in the first two rounds, averaging 17.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.5 spg and 3.5 bpg. She has shot an astounding 84.2% from the field and 50% from the 3-point line.

Geno Auriemma's No. 2 seed UConn is set to face No. 3-seed Oklahoma in a Sweet 16 clash on Saturday.