Sophomore Sarah Strong forging her own successful path
SANFORD — Sanford (N.C.) Grace Christian sophomore post player Sarah Strong is considered a five-star prospect and a threat to achieve a triple-double, but can she beat her dad at H-O-R-S-E?
The 6-foot-2 Strong had 25 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, one block, three steals and four turnovers in a 71-35 win over Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) South Wake High on Monday. She drained 3 of 5 three-pointers, which led to a fun give-and-take with her father Danny Strong.
“Ever since I’ve been little, I’ve been playing it and loving it,” said Sarah Strong, 15. “It’s a lot of fun [making 3-pointers]. I love it.”
“He wasn’t very good [she jokes]. I’d win against him. I’ve improved my shooting since the summer. My shot wasn’t as good as today.”
Danny Strong was a standout at Great Falls (S.C.) High in both football and basketball. He attended Lake City (Fla.) Community College and Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College before transferring to NC State in 1995. The then 6-6, 227-pounder had the unique perspective of playing on coach Les Robinson’s last team and coach Herb Sendek’s first team. Strong averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds and started all 63 games from 1995-97. Danny earned his degree in Sociology at NC State.
“I think that [1997] ACC Tournament and making it to the finals that year [falling 64-54 to UNC],” said Danny on his favorite NCSU moment. “That was pretty awesome. We were undersized and had a lot of injuries. I think Herb did an amazing job of making us believe in ourselves and the power of team.”
Strong shot 38.8 percent on three-pointers, bombing away for 134 of 345 during his two-year NC State stint. He then played professionally overseas until 2012.
“We’ve worked on her shot,” Danny said. “I used to pick at her and tell her ‘Your jump shot is broke.’ We’ve spent a lot of time getting up extra shots and using the shooting gun to kind of perfect her shot.”
The 47-year-old Strong is in the process of developing 70 acres in Fuquay-Varina for The Strong Center. They’ll be developing some football fields, build some gyms and also do wrestling. They have around 17 boys and girls teams.
“This has been an awesome experience,” Danny said. “To see the college coaches come out this young has been eye-opening for me. I figured it would be end of junior year and senior year, it would really start to pick up. She’s had it since her freshman year.”
Danny Strong mostly talks to NC State coach Wes Moore and assistant coach Brittany Morris. He knows people will dream that his daughter will follow in his footsteps one day in red and white.
“People will say that, but one thing I have tried to teach Sarah is that this is her walk,” Danny said. “I tell her 'You are the one that has to get up and go to those classes in the morning. You have to do those 5 a.m. practices with that coach and that team.' She needs to be well informed about everyone and then go with that crew she feels most comfortable with."
Danny Strong definitely appreciates the job Moore has done with No. 3-ranked Wolfpack.
“It has been awesome,” Danny said. “He’s done a phenomenal job and he is a player’s coach. He really connects well with the kids on and off the court. When Sarah had a conversation with him, she said, ‘He’s really a nice guy.’”
ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz has her as the No. 5 overall player nationally in the class of 2024. The ranking was an eye-opener.
“I wasn’t expecting that [ranking]," Sarah said. "I knew it would be pretty good, but not No. 5.
“I’ve been able to meet a lot of people that have helped me develop. I try to get into the gym when I can. Even at home, I try and do some things.”
The family watches NC State women’s hoops games often, either in person or on television. The trouncing of North Carolina on Jan. 6 was the last home game at Reynolds Coliseum that she attended.
The recruiting could get intense, but Strong isn’t all that consumed by it now. Most of the schools that Strong is interested in have offered, except for Harvard and perhaps Oregon. She has unofficially visited NC State, North Carolina, Connecticut, Clemson and Harvard.
“I watch NC State a lot,” Strong said. “It’s been very exciting. They make it clear they want me to come.
“They offered when I was 15. I was so excited and I wasn’t ready for it. My dad was jumping around.”
NC State center Elissa Cunane is projected to be a top WNBA Draft pick and Strong watches her approach to the game.
“I try to see what she does and what moves, so I can work that into my game,” Strong said.
What makes Strong a unique post player is that her vision on the court is high level and she also has great hands catching the ball or snagging rebounds. She believes she has improved both her vertical jump and speed since the summer, but that will continue to be emphasized.
“I really like sharing the ball,” Strong said. “I think that is important than me scoring points. The vision, I don’t know, it just comes natural I guess. I watch a lot of basketball at home, so I just know where to be and where to go.”
Danny Strong joked that she didn’t get that kind of passing skills from him.
“When I played, I wanted to score,” Danny said. “I was a scorer. I’d shoot first and pass second. She’s pass first and shoot second. She understands how to make people around her better.”
Grace Christian can run their offense through her because she makes her teammates better, and she has elevated their college recruiting in the process. Strong and several others from her traveling team, The Strong Center, transferred in to Grace Christian this season, helping the program to a 21-1 start.
Coach Chad Revelle, a former NC State football player from 1993-95, is appreciative of Strong’s approach on the court. She has fit in great on and off the court at Grace Christian, after playing at Fuquay-Varina High last year.
“Sarah is not a ‘Look at me’ type and have all the attention,” Revelle said. “I’m thankful she doesn’t do that and she makes people around her better. Her teammates love her.”
Revelle has several connections to Moore and has been impressed with what the Wolfpack program has become. Revelle said the renovations at Reynolds Coliseum have been a nice boost for recruiting.
“It has been incredible the Power Five programs that have been in our gym that have called me or talked to me,” Revelle said. “I practiced more than I played [at NCSU], but I am a Wolfpacker.
“I know Wes personally. His wife and my wife are good friends. We had met with him when my oldest daughter got recruited. Wes is a good dude. He actually coached one of my wife’s teammates in high school.”
Revelle is proud that Strong will show future players that Grace Christian can help them achieve their dreams in Sanford.
“It is incredible the eye balls now on this town,” Revelle said. “This little town is growing. It is like what just happened to Apex, Cary and Holly Springs. This is the next Holly Springs. Grace Christian is an incredible value and the culture here is good. That is what matters most.”
With such Wolfpack influences around her, some might assume she is a lock for Moore’s program. Strong would break a streak of NC State legacies picking rival programs with Saniya Rivers of Wilmington, N.C., picking South Carolina in the class of 2021 and Raleigh native Imani Lester signing with Louisville last November.
Danny Strong already is pondering what his daughter needs to accomplish to be an impact player her first year in college.
“We have to continue to solidify her position of playing on the wing,” Danny said. “It’s about strength and conditioning. It’s a lot of conditioning. It is pretty much being able to play the game from the wing and not strictly be a five. We want her to guard a two and three, and maybe a one sometime.”
But can Sarah beat her dad in H-O-R-S-E?
“I’d beat her,” Danny said. “I’d definitely beat her. I’m just a shooter.”
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