When can UConn forward declare for WNBA draft

UConn women’s basketball forward Sarah Strong was, ahem, quite strong in the Huskies’ national championship win over South Carolina on Sunday.

Strong, who scored 24 points with a whopping 15 rebounds and five assists in the 82-59 win, showed her game is much more mature than her young age with the huge performance. She was elite in UConn’s other women’s NCAA Tournament matchups as well, averaging 19 points with 11.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in the Huskies’ six tournament wins.

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UConn doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, per usual. Especially as Strong has three seasons of eligibility left.

Here’s everything to know about Strong, who’s poised to be one of the faces of women’s college basketball next season:

Sarah Strong college eligibility

Strong is only a freshman, which means she has three seasons of eligibility left after she helped lead UConn to a national championship win on Sunday.

She won’t be eligible for the WNBA draft until she has either graduated from UConn or is four years removed from high school. Players who turn 22 years old in the year of the draft are also eligible to declare.

Strong still has plenty of time in college.

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Sarah Strong age

Strong is 19 years old, as she was born on Feb. 3, 2006.

Sarah Strong recruiting rank

Strong’s dominance this season wasn’t surprising for those who have followed her as a recruit, as she was rated a five-star and No. 1 player in the 2024 recruiting class, per ESPN’s rankings. The Grace Christian School graduate in Raleigh, North Carolina, was also the No. 1-ranked recruit by 247Sports.

Sarah Strong stats

Here were Strong’s per-game averages in her freshman season at UConn:

2024-25: 16.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game on 58.4% shooting with 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks.