University of Connecticut Athletics
Sarah Strong Earns 2026 Naismith Trophy
4/1/2026 5:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHOENIX – UConn women's basketball sophomore forward Sarah Strong was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Wednesday.
The Naismith Trophy honors the most outstanding women's college basketball player. Strong is the 11th woman in the history of the Naismith Trophy to win the award at the collegiate and high school levels.
Strong has led the top-ranked Huskies to an undefeated 38-0 record as UConn prepares for the NCAA Final Four this weekend. She leads UConn in points (18.6 PPG), rebounds (7.6 RPG), blocks (1.6 BPG) and steals (3.4 SPG). An incredibly efficient player, Strong has put up those numbers on a .594/.404/.848 shooting split in 27.1 minutes per game.
Strong's 127 steals rank second in program history for the most in a single season. She ranks 14th nationally in field goal percentage (59.4) and 10th in steals per game (3.43). Strong is first in the nation in win shares (12.3), defensive win shares (5.2), defensive rating (55.8) and player efficiency (45.5).
Against top-25 opponents this season, Strong averaged 20.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 steals per game.
The Durham, N.C., native reached 1,000 career points in her 59th career game on. Jan. 19, becoming the third fastest player to the milestone in program history.
Strong was named an AP and USBWA First Team All-American last month. She was the only unanimous selection on the AP team. Strong was also selected as the NCAA Fort Worth Regional 1 Most Outstanding Player.
Strong was named the unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, as well as unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and to the All-Defensive Team. She was named the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Strong was named the 2026 USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year last month.
Strong is the eighth player in program history to win the Naismith Trophy, joining Rebecca Lobo (1995), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003, '04), Maya Moore (2009, '11), Tina Charles (2010), Breanna Stewart (2014, '15, '16) and Paige Bueckers (2021).Â
