UConn Huskies senior Azzi Fudd recently shared what her coach, Geno Auriemma, told her that made her exhaust her fifth year of college basketball eligibility. On Friday, October 31, @espnw on Instagram uploaded a post that highlights what the legendary collegiate coach told Fudd to make her stay in the UConn program for another year, ultimately delaying her decision to declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Fudd will uncork her fifth season with the team in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign. What Auriemma told her was tremendously wise, especially since it revolves around her health and how WNBA franchises view her. Fudd’s collegiate tenure has been riddled with injuries, and one more season can help her draft stock.
“ I had a really great talk with coach about it and he said some stuff and I was like, ‘Wow.’ And it was kind of just like, I’ve been here for four years and I forget the exact number he said. It was like five. It was on one hand. That’s all I know. And he said, ‘I think your four years here, you played five games where you really played to your full potential, like five Azzi Fudd this is who you are, basketball games here, and like that’s not enough,'” she shared.
“‘You’d be doing yourself a disservice, whatever team in the W a disservice, like they wouldn’t know the player they’re really getting. It’s like you owe it to yourself to have a full season of playing Azzi Fudd basketball and reaching your full potential at UConn,’ and, I agreed,” Fudd concluded.
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Fudd is coming off her and the rest of coach Auriemma’s Huskies’ 2025 national championship berth, which they won over the 2024 national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-59, in this year’s NCAA title game. For that postseason run, Fudd was eventually named as the MOP as she averaged 17.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.0 steals a game throughout it.
Read More: “Man Never Played, So He Doesn’t Fit”: Sue Bird Mocks Geno Auriemma for Appearance on Azzi Fudd’s Podcast
Azzi Fudd Is Gunning For Her Second NCAA Title While Her Program Is Going For Its 13th
Both Azzi Fudd and coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies program are gunning for back-to-back national championships, a feat last achieved by the team in 2016 on the heels of their illustrious three-peat.
Should the Huskies pull it off in the 2025-26 season and win it all, it would merit Azzi Fudd’s second and final NCAA championship, while UConn would pad its legacy with a record 13th title.
Also Read: Paige Bueckers Drops 4-Word Reaction As GF Azzi Fudd And UConn Start Their Season
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