UConn Huskies star Sarah Strong is rehabbing a nagging Achilles issue that has kept her out of team workouts this summer, she told reporters on Wednesday.
“[We decided] it would be the best decision for me to take care of any aches and pains that I have and focus on getting healthier and stronger,” said Strong, women’s college basketball’s reigning national player of the year. “It’s definitely been good, I feel like my body needs it. Just trying to get healthier for next season.”
Strong added she started individual workouts earlier this week and hopes to ramp up to do team activities “soon.”
Strong did not specify what exactly the issue is besides describing it as soreness and pain. Her Achilles started bothering her last summer while playing 3x3 USA Basketball in Mongolia, she said, and the pain progressed throughout the season.
“I’m not going to say it didn’t affect me at all when I felt it walking to class or when I was sleeping, it would be there,” Strong said. “I felt it throughout my everyday life.”
The 6-foot-2 forward and rising junior averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game last season for the Huskies, who were undefeated until falling to South Carolina in the national semifinal -- a result coach Geno Auriemma hopes serves as fuel for Strong and the rest of the returners.
“We’re always thinking about last season, how it ended,” Strong said. “But we’re focused on what we can do to be better, with a new team, new players coming in.”
