Geno Auriemma plans to push Sarah Strong for more, thinks there's more room for improvement amid "consistent" UConn season

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is impressed with freshman forward Sarah Strong, who emerged as one of the top rookies in the country. Strong is leading the Huskies in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and is second on the team in scoring (16.7 ppg).

During the pregame media availability of the team's matchup with St. John's on Wednesday, Auriemma praised the way Strong has adjusted to the college game.

"I think Sarah has been pretty consistent, you know, throughout the whole season," he said (6:01). "I do think that there’s a lot of opportunities still that we would like for her to take more advantage of.

Geno Auriemma also shared that during the No. 7 UConn's loss to No. 15 Tennessee last week, the team didn't do a great job of getting Strong the ball in spots where she could be difficult to guard.

The 6-foot-2 North Carolina native, who has been shortlisted for the Cheryl Miller Award, still finished the game strong against the Lady Volunteers, recording 18 points and nine rebounds.

However, on Sunday, Sarah Strong was held to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting — her lowest scoring output since Jan. 15 against St. John's — in the win over Providence, but she still pulled down nine boards.

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Geno Auriemma reaches 1,400th game mark in UConn's victory over Providence

Earlier this season, Geno Auriemma became the winningest NCAA Division I basketball coach when the Huskies beat Fairleigh Dickinson for his 1,217th career win.

During Sunday's outing against the Friars, Auriemma reached the milestone of 1,400 games as a coach, adding another accolade to his legendary career. The Hall of Fame coach holds a 1,235-165 record in 40 seasons leading UConn, including 11 national titles.

Only three other coaches in women's basketball history have more games — Tara VanDerveer (1,487), Sylvia Hatchell (1,428) and C. Vivian Stringer (1,481) — but Auriemma remains the only one who's still active on the sidelines.

It's technically impossible for Geno Auriemma to break into the top 3 in overall games coached this season, but he has a chance to jump Hatchell for third place next year.

The Huskies have only six games left in the regular season, including a showdown with No. 4 and defending champions South Carolina on Sunday. After that, UConn will have the chance to make another deep NCAA Tournament run as it pursues a 12th national championship.