With Geno Auriemma and Sarah Strong back at UConn, are the Huskies 2027 contenders?
PHOENIX — Putting an end to any retirement rumors, UConn coach Geno Auriemma confirmed to The Athletic he plans to return next season. It will be the 43rd year coaching for Auriemma, 72, and give him another chance to win his 13th national championship after his 2025-26 undefeated season came to an abrupt ending Friday night, with a 62-48 loss to South Carolina . Though Auriemma plans to remain at the helm, a different major change will happen at UConn with a changing of the guard on his roster.
For the last six years, UConn has been led by Paige Bueckers or Azzi Fudd. They were Auriemma’s next elite guards, following players such as Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi. Despite injuries, they took the Huskies to a national championship and appeared in five Final Fours.
Bueckers graduated after last season, and now, Fudd will be joining her in the WNBA. Sarah Strong, the national player of the year, is left to carry the torch. Having Strong, who will be a junior next season, is a position nearly every team in the country would love to be in.
“It’s going to be an honor, a privilege to see her continue to grow into the player she can be,” Fudd said. “I mean, this is only the start for her. ” Strong was arguably the best UConn player on the court the past two seasons, but she always had somebody to lean on.
Now, much like Taurasi entering her junior season, Strong must embrace being UConn’s alpha leader on the court. Auriemma said he has no intention of coddling Strong this offseason, in hopes that she can come back stronger next year. “I think she should take it on her shoulders.
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