Overview
- UConn sophomore Sarah Strong captured the John R. Wooden Award, completing a rare sweep of major national player-of-the-year prizes from the USBWA, AP, Naismith and the Wade Trophy.
- Her two-way season featured 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, with shooting splits of 58.2% from the field, 40.4% from three and 83.3% at the line.
- She also dominated her league, earning Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
- Context for the award places her in a short list of underclass winners, though coverage differs on whether she is the third or fourth since 2004, with Maya Moore, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins on every list.
- The individual sweep caps a near-perfect UConn campaign that ended 38-1 after South Carolina snapped the Huskies’ 54-game win streak in the national semifinals.