UConn star Sarah Strong becomes the only freshman among top-10 candidates for 2025 Cheryl Miller Award

UConn women's basketball standout Sarah Strong was named a 2025 Cheryl Miller Award finalist. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced that Strong was one of the top 10 candidates who made the final list on Wednesday.

The Cheryl Miller Award, which is currently in its eighth year, is an annual award that honors the top small forward in Division I women’s college basketball. Strong is the only freshman in the final list and has made a mark for herself by winning the Freshman of the Week honor eight times and Player of the Week three times this season.

Sarah Strong leads the Huskies with five double-doubles this season. The freshman also leads the team in rebounds per game (7.8 rpg), field goal percentage (58.5%), blocked shots (31) and steals (53). Her versatility on the court has helped UConn to an impressive 21-2 overall and 12-0 in the Big East.

"It's not a one-woman race": Dawn Staley reacts to Sarah Strong being favorite in NCAA Freshman Award race

McDonalds All American East girls forward Sarah Strong (21) and forward Joyce Edwards (12) are named co MVP's of the McDonald's All American Girls Game on April 2, 2024 - Source: Getty

Sarah Strong joined UConn women's basketball as the No. 1 ranked player in her 2024 recruiting class, per ESPN and has since exceeded expectations with her talents. Standing at 6'2", Strong is a constant threat on either side of the court.

As a result of her performances, she is seen as the clear favorite to win the WBCA Freshman of the Year, an award that is given to the country's top freshman. However, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley stated that her own star freshman Joyce Edwards should be considered as a strong candidate for the award.

"It's not a one-woman race for National Freshman of the Year. So I've got to put a narrative out there that Joyce is doing some incredible things," Staley said on Sunday during a press conference. "We have a tendency to just focus on one (player), right? What (Edwards) has been able to do, with the type of schedule that we had, it's not easy. It's not easy."

"So I just don't want people to forget what Joyce is doing over here, because we're not just going to allow awards to be given out with no consideration for our players here," Staley added.

Like Strong, Edwards has had a strong freshman year, averaging 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In South Carolina's 83-66 win over Auburn on Sunday, she scored 18 points and had five rebounds and two assists to help the Gamecocks improve to 21-1 overall as they remain undefeated in SEC play.