With Paige Bueckers creating her legacy in the WNBA following a championship run with the UConn Huskies in the 2024-25 NCAA season, Azzi Fudd, a close friend of Bueckers, has stepped up as the leader of the team.
Fudd, who also flirted with the possibility of going pro with Bueckers, returned to Connecticut to help Geno Auriemma and Co. defend their national championship. Sarah Strong, another team star, is enjoying Fudd’s new facet, but she’s not wasting opportunities to tease her teammate.
Overtime WBB shared a video of the Huskies’ practice on Instagram, where Fudd had a microphone on her for the session. The clip showed Fudd and Strong playfully going at it as the team prepares for another season.
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong mess around in practice
“This is you non-stop,” Strong said to Fudd. “Azzi gets the mic and won’t stop talking,” Strong added.
Fudd embraced her new role with the team, as she was seen being vocal with her teammates, giving tips on how to have better chances to beat their opponents.
“We need more stops,” she said. “Because in the last game, they scored every time. So we didn’t have much transition. But they get nothing easy. Like, hand up every three.”
Can Azzi Fudd lead the UConn Huskies to back-to-back championships?
The Huskies remain one of the most talented teams in the NCAA, even after losing Paige Bueckers to the WNBA. They retained big pieces from their championship run and Fudd is a more mature and complete player. They will start the season as one of the biggest favorites to win it all, but it won’t be an easy job.
Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins, JuJu Watkins and the UCS Trojans, Flau’Jae Johnson and the LSU Tigers and Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks will be ready to dethrone Fudd and Co. in a season that has everything to be unforgettable.