UConn women’s basketball star Sarah Strong added another accolade to her ever-growing list on Wednesday when she was named USA Basketball’s 3-on-3 Female Athlete of the Year.
Strong was the youngest of the award’s finalists, winning it over three-time WNBA All-Star Allisha Gray and 2025 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Naz Hillmon. The 3-on-3 Athlete of the Year award was established in 2023, and Strong is the third straight college player to receive the honor joining 2024 winner Hailey Van Lith and 2023 winner Mikaylah Williams.
Strong competed with the senior 3-on-3 national team at the 2025 FIBA 3-on-3 World Cup in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia last summer, leading the U.S. to a 4-1 record. She led the tournament in rebounds averaging 7.8 per game on top of 7.6 points per game, which ranked fourth among all players. Strong also represented Team USA in the 3-on-3 Women’s Series, and the squad also went 4-1 at each of its stops in Ulaanbaatar and Marseille, France.
Strong has been a rising star in 3-on-3 for several years, leading USA Basketball to gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 FIBA 3-on-3 U18 World Cup. The Huskies forward also competed for Team USA in 5-on-5 at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, helping the squad to its 11th consecutive gold medal in the tournament.

