UConn Women's Basketball: Opposing Coaches Effusive in Praise of Sarah Strong

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team defeated No. 10 Iowa 91-79 on Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion. It was a big day for the Huskies (2-1), who inducted former guard Azzi Fudd into the Huskies of Honor before the game. Furthermore, it was important to avenge a difficult loss against No. 5 Michigan from Thursday night.

And it was also a big day for reigning National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, who went for a career-high 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting. She pulled down 10 rebounds and also went 5-for-10 from long distance. 

It was the kind of response to a loss you hope for from a player of Strong's stature, but can never guarantee.

Back on Oct. 12, the Huskies played their first exhibition game of the season against the Syracuse Orange. After the game, Orange head coach Felisha Legette-Jack addressed the media and was asked what she liked about Strong's game and her response was simple: "Everything."

Legette-Jack complimented her ability to run the floor, to shoot from outside, to defend and later said that if four players from middle school were on the floor with Strong, they'd have a chance to win.

She also called her a wonderful human being and said that for her, she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft whenever she decides to enter the league.

The praise continued on Sunday from Iowa head coach Jan Jansen, who said that Strong will not only be one of the best players to ever play at UConn, she'll be one of the best players to ever play, period.

The respect that Strong has from other coaches around the nation just shows what kind of player she is, and how high her ultimate ceiling is.

Blanca Quinonez looked more like herself in this victory, scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She also played 29 minutes, pulled down three rebounds and had five steals. The only negative on her game was the four turnovers she had. UConn had 17 for the game, which is too many moving forward.

The Huskies continue their gauntlet of a schedule on Thursday night (6:30 p.m. ET) when they take on Ohio State in Columbus. After that, they'll take on Louisville on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET.