Bueckers’ fellow Class of 2020 recruit Caitlin Clark ended up assuming that mantle — and then some — helping propel women’s basketball to new heights. After Clark took her star power to the WNBA, Bueckers and USC star JuJu Watkins attracted bicoastal spotlights this season. But now Bueckers has finished her college career. Her theoretical heir, JuJu Watkins, missed most of the tournament with her own ACL injury and could miss the bulk, if not all, of next season.
The game is looking for another face heading into the 2025-26 season. The problem: There is no obvious successor. Talented players abound, but a player who can break through into the national consciousness could be essential to maintaining the unprecedented momentum the sport has gained over the past few seasons.
The most likely successor to Bueckers’ stardom could be on her team. En route to a national championship on Sunday, Sarah Strong was an All-American as a freshman and led the country in total win shares (9.3). She took her game to another level in the postseason, averaging more than 22 points and 13 rebounds over the final three tournament contests. That culminated in a historical final when she became the first man or woman to post at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the championship game. Strong can already do essentially everything on a basketball court: defend on the perimeter, protect the rim, screen for her teammates, create her own shot and shoot effectively.
As a sophomore, there is also a long runway ahead with Strong. She can have the basketball world in her hands for multiple years.
The only issue with Strong is that being the face of women’s basketball also entails being a mouthpiece, and Strong’s interviews border on performance art with how little she says. Fans want to feel connected to a player, and there isn’t much to latch on to with Strong off the court, especially when she shows such little emotion on it. In the age of name, image and likeness, Strong’s personality doesn’t exactly lend itself to national ad campaigns that would keep her in the spotlight like Clark, Bueckers and Watkins.
Maybe, then, the responsibility can fall to her teammate Azzi Fudd, the newly minted most outstanding player of the Final Four. Fudd has the pedigree (she was the top recruit in her class) and the comeback story that form a great narrative. The problem with Fudd is that she hasn’t been an All-American or even the best player on her team, and Strong will still be around next year. If Fudd can carry over her NCAA Tournament performance into next season, she’ll be good enough to command more attention but will remain in Strong’s shadow at UConn and nationally.
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