“She doesn’t care that she’s a freshman”: Paige Bueckers heaps praise for UConn’s Sarah Strong after impressive start
UConn superstar Paige Bueckers has praised her teammate Sarah Strong after the freshman's impressive start to her college career. Strong has helped the Huskies to an undefeated start and people are taking notice.
While speaking to reporters on Monday, Bueckers was asked whether she thinks Strong can have a great all-around season this year, even though she's a freshman. Bueckers was full of praise in her response.
"Yeah, I think, she doesn't care that she's a freshman, she just wants to come in and contribute to winning." Bueckers said. "You can see that within her game, like, in games she's not scoring she's still impacting winning, still making plays, whether it's rebounding, defending, um, she can pass extremely well. And then there's games where she has outburst scoring." Timestamp: 6:28
"She's humble, she's hungry, she's driven, and she wants to be a great player. She doesn't care that she's a freshman, and so I think, she obviously has the right mindset about it, and so we expect great things from her."
When asked if there was a moment when she realized that Strong was going to be a special player, Bueckers spoke about the freshman's mentality during the preseason.
"Probably all throughout preseason... She [Sarah Strong] showed it every single day of practice. Just her consistency, too. I think it's hard to be consistent as a freshman, especially here at UConn." Timestamp: 8:26
UConn's Sarah Strong wins Big East Player and Freshman of the Week awards
No. 2 UConn looks like the best team in the country, and a lot of their success can be attributed to star freshman Sarah Strong, who has been named the Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week in the Big East.
The 6-ft-2 forward is putting up stellar numbers, averaging 16.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 3.6 apg. Most recently, Strong poured in 21 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out three assists during UConn's 85-52 blowout win over the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday.
She went 80% from the floor to go along with the 60% from three. It's no wonder Bueckers is singing Strong's praises.
Sarah Strong will lace up her sneakers and go again on Thursday, Dec. 12 when the Huskies take on Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame.