Sarah Strong Continues Achilles Rehab, Expected to Play for UConn in 2026-27

Sarah Strong is rehabbing an Achilles tendon injury and conducting individual workouts as she prepares for her junior season at UConn. CBS Sports reported that she is expected to play in 2026-27 after missing team practices to focus on recovery. Strong first injured the tendon last summer during 3x3 play with Team USA in Mongolia.

She said the injury began affecting her during the 2025-26 season and worsened toward the end, becoming noticeable while walking to class or sleeping. The forward swept all major national Player of the Year honors, including the Naismith Award, in 2025-26. She and Azzi Fudd led UConn to an undefeated regular season before a Final Four loss to South Carolina.

As a freshman in 2024-25, Strong scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the NCAA championship game against South Carolina. She set an NCAA freshman record with 114 points in that tournament, helping UConn win the title alongside Paige Bueckers and Fudd. Bueckers and Fudd have since left for the WNBA.

Strong told CBS Sports that the departures place more weight on her shoulders leadership-wise. "There is no one I can really hide behind and I think I need to kind of step into that role and embrace it," she said. Strong is participating in Overtime Select this summer in a mentorship role for high school players.

Kaleena Smith, a 2027 recruit, said Strong is stepping into that leadership role and that it is showing more on and off the court. Strong also offered advice to incoming freshman Olivia Vukosa, the 2026 Gatorade Player of the Year. She recalled receiving similar guidance upon arriving at UConn: take it one day at a time.