Sarah Strong becomes 4th to repeat as Gatorade NC Player of the Year in girls basketball
For the second straight season, Grace Christian School's Sarah Strong has been named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year in girls basketball.
Strong is the fourth girls basketball player from North Carolina to win the award multiple times, joining Saniya Rivers (Ashley), Jatarie White (Providence Day), and Cierra Burdick (Butler).
At 6-foot-2, Strong, a senior forward, led Grace Christian to a 30-0 record and back-to-back N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A state titles.
Strong averaged 21 points, 16.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season. In the state championship game, she posted 30 points and 21 rebounds in an 83-33 win over High Point Christian School. Strong's performance earned her NCISAA All-State honors.
Strong finished her high school career with 2,302 points and 1,628 rebounds.
USA Basketball selected Strong for the 2024 USA Women's Junior National Select Team, and she was named to the 2024 USA Women's Nike Hoop Summit Team.
Recently, Strong was named the winner of the 2024 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy. She was also selected to the McDonald's All-American Game.
ESPN and Prospects Nation both rank Strong as the No. 1 overall player in the country from the Class of 2024. She has not yet decided where she will play college basketball.
Outside of basketball, Strong holds a 3.68 grade point average and has volunteered in her community through beautification projects and by serving as a youth basketball coach. She is also active in her church, spending time on multiple community service initiatives.
