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10/28 07:10 CDT After a basketball-free summer, All-American Strong returns to lead No. 2 UConn on and off the court After a basketball-free summer, All-American Strong returns to lead No. 2 UConn on and off the court By JIM FULLER Associated Press STORRS, Conn. (AP) --- Sarah Strong thought about the question for a few moments and couldn't remember having a summer quite like the one she just experienced. There were no games to play, practices to refine her skills. As a daughter of two professional athletes, basketball dominated Strong's summers for as long as the preseason AP All-American can remember. Eager to get fully healthy after rarely practicing during the Huskies' run to the 2026 Final Four, Strong stayed away from the court. When she got back to playing basketball, she felt reenergized heading into her junior year. "It helped me health-wise; I think mentally it was good to get a break from playing basketball and working out all the time," Strong said. "I think I was able to see my family and friends and just kind of be present all the time." Now, she is ready to lead second-ranked UConn back to the top after a loss in the Final Four last spring spoiled a championship repeat bid. Strong is the only player in UConn women's basketball storied history with at least 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 250 assists, 200 steals, 100 blocked shots and 100 3-pointers by the end of her sophomore season. It's not all about the numbers. Strong is driven by team success. She was a pivotal piece of everything the Huskies did the last two seasons alongside stars like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. This is her show now. "(When) Sarah decides to say something, no matter what it is, it is quiet and they listen," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "The more she takes advantage of that, the better it is for us. She has been doing that. We had a long conversation in June about what that looks like, what that means. I think when you are a freshman or sophomore, you go, ?I don't want to step on anybody's toes or get in their way.' I think there comes a point where you can't worry about that stuff. I like the direction that she is going." Making shots, setting up teammates and grabbing rebounds looks so easy for Strong. This year, her voice is essential if the Huskies want to make another title run. "She definitely has grown so much since her freshman year," senior guard Ashlynn Shade said. "I think she is just so comfortable in a leadership role, being honest with people, being a vocal leader and helping people out. Obviously, her basketball speaks for herself; that is never going to go away. She is Sarah, she can do anything. You definitely see her stepping up and wanting to push us, wanting to hold us accountable and it has been really good to see it." Bueckers led the team that won the national title when Strong was a freshman. Last year, Fudd took on that role. Strong plans on using what she learned from the last two WNBA No. 1 overall picks, but doing things her way. "It just takes time," Strong said. "I think I will be more comfortable with it as the season goes on. We just started but I will continue to get better at it in the next year and whatever I have left. I am not Paige; I am going to do it my own way. I can't really do what she did; I just have to do what I feel comfortable doing and it is going to take time. "I think it is important because if I am not going to do it, it is not going to happen. I have to fit into that role and start being comfortable with that." Perhaps nobody understands what Strong is about to embark on more than UConn assistant coach Nykesha Sales, a dynamic freshman on UConn's first national championship team. By the time she was a junior, she was asked to be more vocal and take ownership following the graduation of some All-Americans. "It's probably the same storyline, to be honest," Sales said. "She came in and won a championship; I came in and won a championship. Now the big dogs leave so you have to not only still produce what you did as a freshman and sophomore, but now you have to be way more vocal. She is a quiet person. I noticed she likes to play, but now she is being more vocal, which will help her career moving forward." ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college basketball coverage here

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