"Major, major sense of pride" - Allison Feaster makes feelings known on daughter Sarah Strong's Big East brilliance during March Madness

Allison Feaster was a pioneer in women's basketball, becoming the first player from the Ivy League to get drafted into the WNBA in 1998. Feaster came from Harvard, breaking stereotypes along the way and carving a 10-year career. However, her legacy might also be her daughter and UConn Huskies star freshman Sarah Strong.

In a surprise appearance on CBS Sports' "We Need To Talk" show on Friday, Feaster raved about her daughter's freshman season at UConn.

Strong was the initial guest on the show before Lisa Leslie introduced her former LA Sparks teammate, who was very proud of Sarah's accomplishment in her first year in college.

"Major, major, major sense of pride for me," Feaster said. "Just very, very grateful to be on her journey with her. You guys know, you played the elite of the elite at every level and you know what it means to have access to excellence in any part of your journey.

"And to have that legacy for her, have her be a part of that legacy is tremendous. Couldn't be more proud of her."

Allison Feaster was a high school basketball star in South Carolina before selecting to play for Harvard. She made history in 1998 when the LA Sparks drafted her fifth overall though her time in Hollywood lasted just three disappointing seasons.

Feaster had her best years with the now-defunct Charlotte Sting franchise from 2001 to 2006. Her best season was in 2003, averaging 12.4 points per game as a 5-foot-11 forward. She skipped the 2007 season after giving birth to Sarah, returning to play one more year with the Indiana Fever in 2008.

After her WNBA career ended, Feaster went to Spain and played seven more seasons there before retiring in 2016. She enrolled in the NBA's Basketball Operations Associate Program and was eventually hired by the G League.

She's been working for the Boston Celtics since 2020 and is currently the team's Vice President for Team Operations and Organizational Growth.

On the other hand, Sarah Strong was recently named Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for the UConn Huskies.

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Allison Feaster knew Sarah Strong was a different athlete early on

Allison Feaster knew Sarah Strong was a different athlete early on. (Photo: GETTY)

Sarah Strong spent the early years of her life in Spain, where her mother was a basketball star. Allison Feaster quickly found out that Strong inherited her parents' love for basketball, realizing she was a different kind of athlete.

"She was around the game her whole life," Feaster told The CT Insider last month. "And she naturally gravitated towards playing. … She's naturally gifted as an athlete. And so, we noticed in the early years in Spain, when she would play with the girls in her age group, she'd make a pass that you wouldn't see a player of her age or size making."

According to the latest odds, Strong and the UConn Huskies are the favorites to win this year's NCAA championship ahead of defending champs South Carolina and the JuJu Watkins-led USC Trojans.