Latest news with #WFinalFour
New York Times
06-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Maya, Stewie, Paige … and now Sarah Strong. Count her among UConn's most elite freshmen
TAMPA, Fla. — Azzi Fudd missed most of UConn's summer workouts while continuing to rehab her knee. But a few days into playing alongside star freshman forward Sarah Strong, Paige Bueckers came to her pal Fudd with a mini scouting report on the Huskies' newest rookie. 'Paige was like, 'Oh, my gosh. She's really good,'' Fudd, a graduate guard, recalled Bueckers reporting. Advertisement 'And I was like, 'really?' I'd heard all the coaches talk about her during her recruitment process, but I hadn't really seen it because I wasn't out there.' Strong — a woman of many points and rebounds but very few words — had come to UConn around late August not totally knowing what to expect from her inaugural season. The Durham, N.C., native had hoped she'd adjust quickly. She wanted to make an impact for Geno Auriemma's storied program. But when her teammates noticed how quickly she grasped UConn's offense in those summer workouts — and all of the nuances that come with it — they had a feeling she'd be no ordinary freshman. That conclusion was correct. Friday in Tampa, Strong scored 22 points in UConn's blowout victory against top overall seed UCLA, becoming just the third freshman in program history behind Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore to drop 20-plus in a Final Four game. With 22 points tonight, Sarah Strong becomes one of three freshman in UConn history to score 20+ points in a #WFinalFour game: ◽️ Breanna Stewart◽️ Maya Moore◽️ Sarah Strong — The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) April 5, 2025 If UConn wins the national championship Sunday afternoon against No. 1 seed South Carolina, sure, it will most likely be because Bueckers had a day. But Strong is just as critical for the Huskies — up there with the best of the best when it comes to UConn's most impressive freshmen and the X-factor for Auriemma's team all season long. 'It wasn't easy,' said Strong, who averages 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. 'It definitely took a while. Took a lot of going to my family and coaches. (But) I would just say, every day at practice, I would get more confident in myself and get more comfortable doing the things I did in high school.' Strong was the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2024 out of Grace Christian School and grew up in the ultimate basketball family. Her mother, Allison, starred for Harvard, then was a WNBA teammate of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. Her father, Danny, played at NC State. Advertisement Just thinking about the poor suckers who had to guard her in high school makes Fudd pity them. When Auriemma watched Strong play as a five-star recruit, he knew the potential was there for the 6-foot-2 forward who is just as dangerous from the 3-point line as she is when she's spin-moving her way to the basket. Sarah Strong spin cycle 🔁 — UConn Women's Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 1, 2025 Neither of them realized the transition would go this smoothly, though. 'I saw her do things that I hadn't seen any kid that age do in a long, long, long time,' Auriemma said. 'I said, 'If this can transfer, even half of it, to when she's at UConn, we've got something pretty special. 'I thought it would take some time. But it clicked right from the very beginning. There was no doubt in my mind that we (would) enter the NCAA Tournament and I'm worried about, 'Man, I hope she doesn't act like a freshman.' She hasn't acted like a freshman, she hasn't acted her age since I saw her in ninth and 10th grade. I'm not surprised.' Strong, who has scored 20-plus points in three of UConn's five tournament games to this point, enters the South Carolina matchup on the heels of 44 combined points and 25 total rebounds against USC and UCLA. Bueckers was a superstar freshman in her own right — winning Naismith Player of the Year honors in her inaugural campaign — as were Stewart and Moore. But Strong already has more rebounds than any other freshman in program history with 341 — 45 more than Tina Charles' 296 mark in 2006-07. With 633 points, she is second on the all-time UConn freshman scoring list, only behind Moore's 678 points in 2007-08. Her 137 assists are second to Bueckers' 168 in 2020-21, and her 63 blocks rank fourth among Huskies rookies. Staley recruited Strong as a high school prospect, hoping her friendship with Allison Strong would help South Carolina more than it ultimately did. But the Gamecocks got in late on Strong, who at that point was lasered in on UConn. Now they're on the other end — stuck with having to find answers for her Sunday afternoon. Advertisement 'Sarah is … how do I say this?' Staley said Saturday. 'In the next three years, she might be the best player to come out of UConn. And those are strong words. 'But what she's able to do — stay calm, the IQ is off the charts, the skill set off the charts. Big play after big play after big play. Such a great complement to an already-skilled UConn team. I think she's the piece that puts it all together. She makes it work.' Indeed, Sunday could come down to Strong, who has been the one-two punch with Bueckers the Huskies have needed to return to the national title game. Next year's team should be in her hands, too. Count Fudd among those who can't wait to watch it all unfold. 'I can't even think. She is so incredible right now. And to know that she's only going to get better being here, learning from the coaches, being in this program, she's already the best player, she's already unguardable, already so smart. Passes so well. Sees the floor so well. She's a great defender. So I'm like, what can she get better at, really?' Fudd said. 'But the sky is the limit for her. And I can't wait to have another season with her.'
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Freshman Joyce Edwards could be South Carolina's spark against UConn in championship
TAMPA, Fla. — With the clock winding down in the first quarter, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards had the ball on the perimeter and looked toward her coach, Dawn Staley. She knew the play was 'five out,' and that with every player standing above the 3-point arc, she would have a driving lane. The freshman didn't know when to go, though. As the clock reached 25 seconds left in the quarter, she glanced toward Staley. The Hall of Fame coach looked at Edwards and shrugged her shoulders. It was as if she were saying, 'Go, make a play.' Advertisement Edwards, who averaged 12.7 points per game this season, listened. She took the ball in her right hand, drove hard at Texas forward Kyla Oldacre, leaving the 6-foot-6 player behind her, and made a nice finish at the basket with 10 seconds left in the quarter. It was a smooth play, something not many 6-3 forwards can do while starting the play beyond the 3-point arc. But Edwards isn't most forwards; she was the No. 3 player in the 2024 class, according to ESPN, and has a skill set that sets her apart from her peers. All of it was on full display Friday in South Carolina's 74-57 Final Four win over Texas. She finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, tallying the fourth double-double of her young career. She also added six assists and one steal, leading South Carolina back to its third national championship game in four years. The Gamecocks will face UConn on Sunday for the title. JOYCE EDWARDS IS HOOPIN' 😤#MarchMadness x #WFinalFour x @GamecockWBB — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 5, 2025 Edwards' impact is a game-changer for the Gamecocks, Staley said. 'I don't want to put that much pressure on her, but that's what she's been doing all season long,' Staley said. 'When she doesn't get her average, when she doesn't fly around out there, we feel it. We feel it.' Edwards hasn't been in that form for much of the tournament, though. As opponents began scheming against her, she went into a slump. She scored five points in the second-round tournament win over Indiana, six points in the Sweet 16 against Maryland and four points against Duke in the Elite Eight. It was the longest stretch she can remember without reaching double figures, but the Final Four was the perfect time to find her form again. 'It's comforting just knowing that I was going to bounce back. It wasn't if, it was when,' Edwards said. 'I'm happy it was today.' Advertisement One of the things Staley likes so much about Edwards is her brain. Edwards went to Camden High School, which is just over half an hour from South Carolina's campus. She left Camden with a 5.08 GPA and arrived at South Carolina as an environmental engineering major in the honors college. 'She's a very, high-intelligent individual,' Staley said. 'Not very many athletes are in the honors college.' Her intelligence translates onto the court as well. Edwards sees things happening in slow motion, which is half the adjustment for freshmen adjusting to the college game. But she also puts the work into watching film to understand how teams will guard her. Though that helps, it can also sometimes hurt her, Staley said. 'When our opponent isn't where she thinks they're supposed to be, it kind of throws her off a little bit, like, 'That's not what I studied,'' Staley said. When the NCAA Tournament began, teams started to throw different looks at Edwards — a frustrating experience. She opened the tournament with a dominant 22-point performance against Tennessee Tech, but shot just 28 percent from the field in the next three games. Indiana double-teamed her in the second round, then Maryland and Duke followed suit, scheming against her more and more. 'I just kept thinking about it and carrying it to the next game,' Edwards said. It had a massive impact on South Carolina's game as well. In those three games, South Carolina won by an average of 6.3 points, and its offense was a shell of the team that had averaged 79 points during the regular season. It was obvious that the Gamecocks needed more from Edwards. Staley didn't want to pressure her freshman, but she knew the reality of the situation. 'If we're going to win a national championship, we need better production from Joyce,' Staley said after the Elite Eight. Advertisement After constant conversations with her parents and South Carolina's coaching staff, Edwards came into the Final Four refreshed. 'I just liberated myself and took what the floor gave me,' Edwards said. There was no secret formula for Edwards to get out of her slump, but it's something senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said will be good for Edwards going forward. 'You've got to go through that process to really look at yourself and see if you really want to play this game of basketball,' Paopao said. Now, the goal is repeating that performance in the biggest game of the year. South Carolina will play UConn in the national championship game on Sunday, a rematch of the 29-point loss on Feb. 16. Edwards scored 17 points in that game. Though Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong will be the most talented players on the floor in the title game, Edwards' versatility off the bench could be a spark for the Gamecocks. Against Texas, though, as Staley looked at Edwards before her layup at the end of the first quarter, she knew Edwards just needed a sign. So she gave her one with her shoulder shrug and nod. 'She just needed the cue to take off,' Staley said. Edwards did just that on the tournament's biggest stage. (Photo of Joyce Edwards: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Amid athletic lore in Pauley Pavilion, UCLA women's basketball finally has a legacy to add
SPOKANE, Wash. — UCLA has won 124 national championships in school history. The women's basketball team comes into its home gym of Pauley Pavilion and sees banners for 11 men's basketball titles, nine gymnastics championships and 25 national titles for volleyball. It's a seemingly impossible legacy to live up to, but one the Bruins women's basketball team has never shied away from chasing. It's one step closer to clearing a space of its own in that hallowed gym, after a 72-65 win over LSU to send the Bruins to their first Final Four in NCAA Tournament history. Advertisement 'Everyone came to UCLA for this reason, to do something we haven't done,' junior Gabriela Jaquez said. 'Proud of my teammates, the staff, the coaches for just continuing to get better every day and grow.' This milestone has been a long time coming for the program, which experienced success in the AIAW era — a title in 1978 and another final four in 1979 — but had yet to translate it into the modern era of the NCAA Tournament. For decades, women's basketball has been an afterthought in the Bruins' athletic powerhouse. UCLA took a chance on Cori Close, then a longtime assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara and Florida State, in 2011. The administration believed she could elevate the program with her mission to build 'an elite program that teaches, mentors and equips women for life beyond college.' Who doesn't love confetti ?! 🎉 @UCLAWBB #MarchMadness x #WFinalFour — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 30, 2025 Assistant coach Tony Newnan was semi-retired, selling real estate in Santa Barbara when he got the call to join Close, who had coached with him on the Gauchos staff. Shannon LeBeauf was a rising coaching star who had worked with multiple national players of the year at Duke when she chose to help a first-time head coach build a foundation in Los Angeles. LeBeauf said she would have gotten out of coaching if she hadn't felt fully in sync with the process. Both have stayed with Close for the entirety of her UCLA tenure. 'I had a vision and I believed in surrounding myself with people that were smarter than me and that would be aligned in that vision, but they still had to take a risk on me,' Close said. 'That's not an easy risk to take when someone's unproven, and I'll be eternally grateful for that risk that they took.' The early returns for the Close era were promising on the court. The Bruins brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in 2014. That group won the WNIT as freshmen, went to the NCAA Sweet 16 the next season, and peaked with an Elite Eight appearance as seniors, but that remained the high point for the Bruins until now. Advertisement Close, her staff, and the university continued to believe that the program was fulfilling its promise to the women who came through, even if that didn't manifest itself in wins. 'She pours her heart and soul into the program, into the lives of everybody in the program,' said Newnan, who was recently named the 2025 Division I assistant coach of the year. 'She's achieved so much off the court in the lives of everybody.' UCLA also turned out a number of WNBA pros, including Jordin Canada, Monique Billings, 2021 rookie of the year Michaela Onyenwere, and 2024 champion Kennedy Burke. Past greats supported Close throughout. Denise Curry and Ann Meyers-Drysdale, who were part of the AIAW title and have their numbers retired, are season-ticket holders who check in regularly. 'They have celebrated every step,' Close said. 'They have been behind us, they have donated, they have showed up, they have believed in our mission. And I don't appreciate them as much today as I do on the darkest days. That's when they showed up in the trenches with me and said, 'Hey, hang in there. We believe in what you're doing, and we're behind you 100 percent.'' The big break for Close came in 2022, when she brought in her second top-ranked class, headlined by Kiki Rice, Jaquez and Londynn Jones. They breathed new life into a roster that had missed the NCAA Tournament the prior season and needed an influx of talent to compete at the highest levels. The top-ranked player in that class, Lauren Betts, joined UCLA from Stanford the following season, and the No. 3 and No. 6 players (Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner) came aboard in 2024. The main goal had always been to win, and the Bruins finally had a roster that could realistically achieve that. A lack of historical success and a recent trend of coming up short in big games dimmed UCLA's self-belief, but this was the challenge Close was waiting for. Advertisement All of the intangibles Close had been preaching throughout her time at UCLA — visualizing success, resetting to neutral in chaotic atmospheres, earning confidence by conquering challenges, choosing 'we' over 'me' — coincided with a team that could take those principles and execute them on the basketball court. These Bruins are the culmination of 14 years of Close's vision, a talented team that plays for and with each other in her image. That it happened at UCLA is even sweeter. 'Cori's way is the Wooden way,' LeBeauf said. 'A lot of what he built his program around is instilled in her, and I'm proud of her for sticking to her guns.' Postgame locker room vibes were all the way up! 📈#GoBruins — UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 31, 2025 There is pressure and privilege to coaching a basketball team in the perpetual shadow of John Wooden, at a university that doesn't have room to recognize accomplishments short of national titles. LeBeauf, who serves as the Bruins' recruiting coordinator, says she feels a responsibility to put something new in the team's trophy case whenever she recruits visits. She joked that the Bruins prefer to practice in the practice facility to avoid looking at all of the banners inside of the gym. 'How do you not feel privileged to be at a place like UCLA with a history that it has?' she said. 'At the same time, you want to carry your weight. … To be at a place like UCLA and to be able to add to that collection will be something meaningful, but it is something that keeps you motivated and pushing every single day.' This season is the crowning achievement of Close's career, and a bright spot in a Bruins' women's basketball legacy that is growing by the day. Everyone on this team came together to pursue a championship. They believed it was possible when the track record suggested otherwise. Although the Bruins celebrated their Final Four berth with boundless enthusiasm, stacking hats on top of each other's heads during postgame interviews and sending an endless line of staffers to cut the nets, this isn't where the journey ends. At UCLA, the standard has been set higher, staring down from the rafters at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo of Cori Close: Tyler McFarland / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
New York Times
30-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Getting the ball in Chloe Kitts' hands was key to South Carolina's return to the Final Four
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When Dawn Staley drew up South Carolina's final offensive possession, the goal was simple: Get the ball to Chloe Kitts. Kitts, the 6-foot-2 junior post, was South Carolina's best offensive weapon in the fourth quarter. She scored eight of her 14 points in that quarter, but for her final two, she didn't want the ball. Advertisement After South Carolina left the huddle, Kitts turned to point guard Ta-hina Paopao and asked her, 'Can you get the ball? Can you get the ball?' Paopao was taken aback and denied Kitts' request. 'Girl, what? Go get the ball,' she told her. Kitts got the ball and was fouled before walking to the free-throw line with her nerves at an all-time high. Kitts is a good free throw shooter, she made 5 of 8 to that point and is an 81 percent free-throw shooter this season. But in that moment, with the Gamecocks' Final Four aspirations hanging in the balance, she was scared. She couldn't even look at her father, Jason Kitts, in the stands. Around her, South Carolina's players were encouraging her. Bree Hall, who was standing at the line to rebound, was telling Kitts: 'You're unshakeable. You got this.' Sania Feagin told her to take a deep breath. She listened to them and made both free throws. A few seconds later, top-seeded South Carolina defeated second-seeded Duke 54-50, clinching its fifth straight trip to the Final Four. But this one was different for Kitts. Cut the net ✂️#MarchMadness x #WFinalFour — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 30, 2025 It was affirmation that Kitts, who had watched as elite post player after elite post player came into that program and won, was deserving of her role as one of South Carolina's leaders. 'It feels amazing because I feel like I worked so hard, and my process is different. … I'm just so thankful to be in that position at the end of the game to go to the Final Four,' Kitts said. As South Carolina celebrated another Elite Eight win, the floor was chaotic. Some players danced together, while others took pictures with their families. Staley even went off to the side to sign a baby's bottom. Advertisement Kitts, who was named MVP of the regional, found her mother and father first on the court amid the celebration. She hugged all of the team parents of her teammates, cut her piece of the net and then made her way to the stands. Kitts hugged and took pictures with fans who had sat behind South Carolina's bench. She was even given a child to hold while she took a picture. It was a scene that resembled a presidential candidate greeting voters, and Kitts loved it. From the moment she stepped onto campus as a freshman, she said she's felt the support of South Carolina's fan base. Celebrating with them, even after one of her biggest NCAA Tournament moments, was a no-brainer. 'The fans mean so much to me. Those little boys and little girls look up to us,' Kitts said. It's more than just the fans who look up to Kitts, now, it's her team. When Kitts skipped her high school senior season of basketball to enroll early at South Carolina, she knew that the transition to college wouldn't be easy. 'She probably thought it was the worst decision that she made when she was going through it,' Staley said. In that time, though, she got a chance to learn from players like Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso and the rest of South Carolina's stacked teams that reached the Final Four. The question was never about Kitts' talent. She had to learn the standard at South Carolina and grow into the college game. Once she did that, things started to click. Last season she started in 31 of 37 games and was a key part of the national championship winning team, but this season, she's had to step into a larger leadership role. With Cardoso graduated, she and Feagin became the two leading post players. Kitts is averaging a career-high 10.3 points with the added minutes, but it's her calming presence that holds more weight. She knows how to ease people in big moments and keeps things loose behind the scenes. Advertisement 'What I really like about Chloe is, you know, whether she makes you laugh at something or she says something off the wall, it's her. She is comfortable in her skin,' Staley said. On the court, while she might be screaming inside, she doesn't show it on the outside as her presence relaxes everybody else because of her consistency. She's scored in double figures in 23 of her 35 games and has also reached that mark in 10 of the last 11 games. 'For her to step up and do what she's been doing the last month, it's been great to see and play with because we know we will get that from her every night,' Paopao said. The key to Kitts is her confidence, and her teammates see it growing every game. 'We had all the confidence in her, but we had to wait for her to feel that confidence in herself,' Paopao said. 'She's going to be that great leader we need for the next two games if we are going to handle business.' South Carolina's coaching staff and players have the utmost trust in Kitts. That, she said, was the only thing going through her mind as she stepped to the line for her final free throws of the game. 'My coach wanted me to have the ball at the end of the game because she knew I could make my free throws,' Kitts said. 'I just told myself, 'I'm really good at basketball.'' (Photo of Chloe Kitts: Greg Fiume / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
