UConn guard Azzi Fudd’s perception of coach Geno Auriemma has evolved over her five seasons in Storrs, Connecticut. The winningest coach in college basketball history has a little perspective on what it means to be part of the Huskies program.
Auriemma advised Fudd to embrace every single moment of her final season, words of wisdom she scoffed at years ago.
“I remember hearing it for the first time as a freshman and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s so dramatic,’” Fudd said Tuesday during Big East media day. “As I’ve gotten older, I’m like ‘Wow. We really are lucky.’ So really just trying to embrace all of that. Enjoy this last year with my teammates. Enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Fudd opted to return for her fifth and final year of eligibility to unlock her full potential, at the advice of Auriemma. The appreciation of embracing the opportunity highlights Fudd’s maturity as a redshirt senior preparing to step into a leadership role for UConn. The Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll to start the season for the first time since 2017, are looking to repeat as champion. After the departure of three-time All-American guard Paige Bueckers, the Huskies will rely on Fudd, a quiet and introverted star, to take over.
‘Everything about this year is going to be a challenge. I knew that going in,’ Fudd said. ‘I’m excited about what else I can add, what else I can learn. Whether that’s specifically on the court with my ball handling, bringing the ball up, or it’s leadership. I think this year has been all about embracing the hard.’
Azzi Fudd: ‘This is the healthiest I’ve been at UConn’
Fudd was battle tested long before she arrived at UConn as the nation’s top basketball prospect in 2021. The 5-foot-11 guard tore her right ACL and MCL at age 16 during a USA Basketball 3-on-3 tournament in April 2019, a little more than a month after becoming the first sophomore to be named the Gatorade Player of the Year. Nine months of rehab were followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, an abbreviated junior season and the cancellation of her senior season of high school.
The ability to bounce back from any obstacle instilled confidence in Fudd last season. She played a career-high 34 games and was named Most Outstanding Player in UConn’s national title win over South Carolina after scoring a game-high 24 points. She’s widely expected to be a top pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.
“The adversity I’ve been through has taught me a lot about just how strong I am,” Fudd said on Tuesday. “As an athlete, it’s easy to get caught in the highs and the lows. So being able to reflect and look at all that I’ve overcome. … I should have all the confidence in the world.’
Fudd, 22, said she’s ‘feeling great physically’ heading into the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season, adding this is ‘the healthiest I’ve been since I’ve been at UConn.’
‘I haven’t even been playing basketball for a whole year yet,’ Fudd said. ‘At this point last year, I think I might’ve just started doing full practices. To think how far I came just in that last year. … I’m excited to see what a healthy season looks like for me.’
Can the Huskies repeat? Geno Auriemma weighs in
UConn, which had a record 12 titles, hasn’t defended a national championship in a decade. The Huskies were the last team to successfully repeat when Breanna Stewart led them to four consecutive titles from 2013 to 2016. UConn also repeated in 2009 and 2010 and had a three-peat from 2002 to 2004, all under Auriemma.
The difficulty of winning back-to-back national championships boils down to two things — letdown and turnover, Auriemma said. After a team has worked its way to the top of the mountain, he said it’s critical players resist human nature and maintain their edge.
‘Because we’ve done it already, (players are) bored during the season and wait for the NCAA Tournament because that’s the most fun,” Auriemma added. “They forget what a road it was to get to that point … so we got to remind them of that and not be too cocky going into the season, but confident.”
The Huskies lineup looks different with the departures of Bueckers, Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin to graduation and Quadence Samuels (NC State) to the transfer portal. ‘Every year you’re dealing with losing a couple of really, really big pieces. This year we’re losing a huge, huge piece in Paige (Bueckers),’ said Auriemma, noting ‘it’ll take some time’ for his new team to mesh.
The Huskies added transfers Serah Williams (Wisconsin) and Kayleigh Heckel (Southern Cal), in addition to incoming freshmen Kelis Fisher, Gandy Malou-Mamel and Blanca Quinonez.
When looking back at each of his teams that were able to successfully win back-to-back championships, Auriemma said ‘each one of those repeats had returners who were able to almost carry it on their own. The (Diana Taurasi) repeats (in 2003 and 2004) were (Taurasi) knowing how to lift the tide.
‘We don’t have a (Taurasi) personality on our team, so that’s going to have to evolve.’
Azzi Fudd ‘learned a lot’ from Paige Bueckers
The evolution of Fudd is already underway. Sophomore forward Sarah Strong said she’s seen Fudd take initiative as the team gears up for its season opener against Louisville on Nov. 4. She went as far as saying Fudd ‘looks like a whole different player on the court,’ compared to last year’s title run.
‘She’s more comfortable with being a leader and speaking up with the team,’ Strong said on Tuesday. ‘I would say more confident. More assertive. And more aggressive looking for her shot first.’
Fudd said she ‘learned a lot’ about leadership from her time at UConn alongside Bueckers, in addition to watching her Rookie of the Year-caliber season with the Dallas Wings in the WNBA this summer.
‘I feel like the way that she just carries herself. She’s just a great person and a great teammate,’ Fudd said of Bueckers. ‘The way she cares for her teammates. She’s going to lead in a personal way.
‘I feel like what I learned from her is just the attention to detail she had for things.’
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