"BIG RAH NOT THE LITTLE": College hoops fans react as UConn's Sarah Strong gears up to play in 2025 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series

UConn Huskies star forward Sarah Strong is coming off an incredible freshman season. She helped the team win the national championship and will be expected to take on an even bigger role next year with the departure of Paige Bueckers to the WNBA.

While many college basketball players are training in the offseason, Sarah Strong is getting ready for competitive play. She was named to Team USA for the 2025 3x3 Women's Series. USA plays its first game on May 23 at 7:15 a.m. ET against Ireland. On Wednesday, the UConn Instagram account announced that she would be part of the team.

It did not take much time for fans to flock to the comments after the post was made. Many reacted to the news, referring to her by her nickname "Big Rah."

"BIG RAH NOT THE LITTLE," one fan wrote.

"Player of the year next season. Quote me," one fan commented.

"Good luck and please stay healthy," one fan added.

Fans continued to react in the comments.

"She deserves this so much. Go SAURRR," one fan wrote.

"LETS GO RAHHH," one fan commented.

"Can't wait to watch her play again! Praying for a safe, healthy, championship run!!" one fan added.

Images via the comments of the Instagram post.

Sarah Strong and Team USA will play two games on Friday. First, they will play Ireland at 7:15 a.m. EDT, followed by Madrid at 8:25 a.m. The tournament takes place over two days, starting on Friday. The championship game will be played on Saturday at 3:25 p.m.

Games are able to be played quickly because in the 3x3 format, there is a 10-minute clock with a 12-second shot clock. The first team to 21 points, or the team winning at the end of regulation, is the winner.

Sarah Strong will be expected to be UConn's best player next season

Sarah Strong joined the UConn Huskies this past season as a freshman and had a tremendous season. She averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. While she was stellar, she had the luxury of deferring to Paige Bueckers as the team's best player.

With Bueckers starting her WNBA career, Strong will not have that luxury next season. Instead, she will be looked at to be the driving force of the offense. While she looked great as a freshman, it will be interesting to see how she performs as the No. 1 option.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly