No. 1 recruit Sarah Strong puts on a show. South Carolina, others are in pursuit

After seeing her play up close, Joyce Edwards wouldn’t mind teaming up with Sarah Strong in college.

Edwards signed with South Carolina in November and will do her best to get Strong, the top-ranked prospect in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings for the Class of 2024, to join her and be a Gamecock, she said.

Edwards, the Camden High standout, faced off Wednesday night against Strong and Grace Christian in the Chick-fil-A Classic’s girls showcase game. Strong’s team got the best of the Bulldogs, winning 58-52.

“Yes, for sure, I will try to get her but at the end of the day it is her decision,” said Edwards, the No. 2 prospect in 2024 who scored 27 points in the game. “I don’t want to pressure her too much.”

The two players had played against each other in AAU games but never in a high school game before Wednesday night.

Strong put on a shooting clinic, connecting on seven of her 10 attempts from 3-point range in a 31-point night. The 6-foot-2 senior also pulled down 17 rebounds, had four steals and two blocks.

“I already knew she could do that,” Edwards said of Strong’s shooting. “Nothing she did shocked me. She had open looks from the 3 and got hot off of that. … She did really good and I can’t hate on her.”

Edwards wasn’t the only one who took notice of Strong’s performance.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and her top three assistants were seated on the baseline along with several Gamecock players. UConn assistant coach Jamelle Elliott also was at the game.

Strong is one of just three of top-20 ranked players in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings who didn’t sign during the early period in November. The other two are Jaloni Cambridge (No. 3) and Mikayla Banks (No. 10). Cambridge will announce her decision on Friday with LSU, Baylor, Florida, Louisville and Ohio State among her final five schools.

Strong has kept things quiet publicly regarding her recruiting, but said after Wednesday’s game that the Gamecocks and UConn are among the schools showing her interest. Others include North Carolina, UCLA, Oregon, LSU, N.C. State and Louisville.

Strong’s father, Danny, played basketball at N.C. State. She has visited UConn, Oregon and LSU but has yet to visit South Carolina. The Gamecocks have signed Edwards, Maddy McDaniel and post player Adhel Tac and have the No. 2-ranked recruiting class, according to ESPN.

Strong has ties to the Palmetto State, with her father playing at Great Falls High. He followed that with a 15-year professional career overseas.

Her mother, Allison Feaster, played at Chester High, is the third-leading scorer in state high school basketball history and had an All-American career at Harvard. Feaster played 10 years in the WNBA and eight overseas and currently works with the Boston Celtics.

Feaster will go into the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame next year.

“They give me a lot of advice and it is really too much to say,” Strong said. “They tell me to stay positive pretty much and help me through everything.”

Strong doesn’t have a timetable for making a college decision. She said she’s trying to do her best to balance improving her game while she handles the recruiting process. The spring signing period is April 17 through May 15.

“Sometimes, I take one big break because it gets a lot,” she said.

Strong’s versatility and shooting ability make her a prime commodity for college coaches. ESPN’s Shane Lafflin compared her to former Maryland standout Alyssa Thomas and Kentucky great Rhyne Howard.

Grace Christian coach Chad Revelle compared her to Magic Johnson in an interview earlier this year.

“She literally can play every position. She stretches the floor inside to out,” Revelle said after Wednesday’s game. “... It’s cliche to say that the ceiling is the roof. But you’ve got a girl that can do all she can do and stretch the floor and play one through five positions. It is pretty incredible and fun to watch.”

Revelle has had a front-row seat to watch Strong’s development the past three years since arriving before her sophomore season at Grace Christian in Sanford, North Carolina.

Last season, Strong averaged 22.6 points, 13.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.2 blocks per game in helping Grace Christian to its second straight North Carolina Independent Schools Association state championship.

During the summer, Strong helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 in Debrecen, Hungary. She scored 46 points at the tournament, tied for second most among all players in scoring.

Strong entered the game against Camden averaging 19.3 points and 16.5 rebounds.

“Sarah makes everyone around her better,” Revelle said. “People want to play with her, come here. She has been a draw for our school and players want to come be a part of this. She will get hers and she will score, but she passes, finds people, and I told her the great ones elevate the players around her.”