“You choose UConn for the opportunity to win”: Sarah Strong’s mom, Allison Feaster, downplays role of NIL in Huskies commitment

UConn forward Sarah Strong was part of a devastating big three for the Huskies alongside Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers that led the team to a national championship win last season. Strong committed to the Huskies as the No. 1 recruit in the country in the class of 2024 and was a starter for coach Geno Auriemma's team immediately.

Strong was highly recruited by elite coaches, including South Carolina Gamecocks' Dawn Staley, who was her mother, Allison Feaster's teammate in the WNBA during their playing days, but she chose to go to UConn.

During an interview with "CNBC's" Alex Sherman on Thursday, Feaster talked about her highly-regarded daughter choosing to join the Huskies over other programs and whether the family was swayed by NIL reasons (1:47).

"Absolutely zero factor in her decision-making process and choosing UConn," Feaster said. "I think you know much about us as parents and Sarah as a student, as an athlete, it was that zero focus was on that we've always had.

"We've always been of the opinion that if the basketball prowess, if the basketball accolades are there, the talent, the skill level and some minimum baseline marketability that you will have access to amazing NIL opportunities, but you choose UConn for the opportunity to win the title."

How Sarah Strong's mom influenced basketball career

The talented Sarah Strong hails from a family with a strong basketball background. Her mother, Allison Feaster, was a star for the Harvard Crimson between 1994 and 1997, where she won the Ivy League Freshman of the Year (1995) and Ivy League Player of the Year thrice. The UConn star's father, Danny Strong also played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack.

Feaster played in the WNBA before moving abroad to play in Spain where Sarah Strong was born. During an interview with "Andscape," the UConn standout revealed how her mother influenced her basketball career.

“They (her parents) said, ‘If you don’t want to do this, [I] could stop wasting my time,’” Sarah Strong said. “I said, ‘I want to play basketball. I want to go to college and want to do this.’

“So, I was playing with my mom’s club team’s [youth team]. That’s when I really began to love it, because that’s what she was doing and I wanted to do the same. I just remember them practicing and me having the ball on the side. I was just trying to do the drills the team was doing. Watching her play was a lot of fun.”

Allison Feaster is now the Boston Celtics' vice president of team operations and organization while her daughter started her college basketball career with a bang by winning the national title with the UConn Huskies.