No. 35–UConn Huskies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
League | Big East Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. | November 11, 2002||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High school | St. John's College (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College | UConn (2021–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
|
Azzi Fudd (born November 11, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference. She attended St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., where she was ranked as the number one recruit in her class by ESPN and won national player of the year honors. Fudd helped UConn reach the national championship game as a freshman.
In 2019, Fudd was named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year after putting up averages of 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, becoming the first sophomore ever to win the award. [1] [2] She led her team to a 35–1 record and captured the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament title. [3]
Prior to her sophomore year, Fudd became one of the first girls ever to attend the SC30 Select Camp, an elite offseason training camp run by two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, and won the camp's three-point shooting competition. Shortly after that season, while playing in the final of the U.S. under-18 3x3 championships, held to determine the country's representatives to that year's FIBA U18 3x3 World Cup, she tore the ACL and MCL in her right knee. [4] Because of the nature of her injury, her knee reconstruction required two separate surgeries—the first for the MCL, and the second several weeks later for the ACL. Both operations were performed by K. Donald Shelbourne, an Indianapolis orthopedic surgeon who had repaired her mother's torn ACL many years earlier. [4]
While still undergoing rehabilitation, Fudd attended Curry's camp again. Shelbourne allowed her to compete in the camp's three-point contest again, but only if she could walk between the spots. Nonetheless, Fudd again won the contest. [4]
Fudd returned to the St. John's team in January 2020, averaging 19.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists for St. John's while still recovering from her injury before her season was prematurely halted by COVID-19. St. John's did not play an official schedule in 2020–21 for the same reason; the team played some unofficial exhibitions as the D.C. Cadets, with Fudd, who was the student body vice-president at the time, personally lobbying the school's principal for this arrangement. [4]
Fudd averaged 25.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals during an abbreviated senior season.
Fudd was a five-star recruit and was ranked number one in the class of 2021 by ESPN. She received her first scholarship offer in sixth grade from Maryland. On November 11, 2020, Fudd announced her commitment to UConn. She chose the Huskies over offers from Maryland, UCLA, Louisville, Oregon, Kentucky, Texas, and Notre Dame. [5] She became the 12th number-one recruit to sign with UConn since 1998 and joined her best friend and former number-one recruit Paige Bueckers.
Fudd was selected Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year.
On November 21, 2021, Fudd made her collegiate debut for UConn, scoring seven points, and three rebounds in a 95–80 win over Arkansas. On February 6, 2022, in Fudd's first collegiate start against rival Tennessee, she finished with a career high 25 points, along with four rebounds, and four assists. The following game, Fudd finished with a season high 29 points against Villanova in a 72–69 loss.
During the Elite Eight, Fudd helped UConn in a 91-87 double-overtime victory over NC State scoring 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while playing a team high 49 minutes. She and Christyn Williams were named Bridgeport All-Region Team for their performances. She finished her freshmen year averaging 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
Fudd made her season debut on November 10, 2022, recording 26 points and 4 assists in a 98–39 win against Northeastern. [6] On November 14, Fudd scored a career high 32 points and four assists in an 83–76 win against number three ranked Texas. The 56 points scored by Fudd set a record for the most points ever scored by a UConn player In the first two games of the season, beating the previous record held by Diana Taurasi. The 32 points scored against Texas tied a record held by Taurasi for the most points scored by a UConn player against a top-five opponent. [7] [8] On December 4, against rival Notre Dame, Fudd suffered a right knee injury after a teammate fell on her knee. Fudd is expected was to miss three to six weeks. On January 11, Fudd returned for the Huskies against St. John's after missing the previous eight games, she came off the bench and scored 15 points and only played 20 minutes due to minutes restrictions. Fudd missed more time after re-injuring her right knee against Georgetown, one game after she had returned from a 5-week absence from the initial injury, the program had announced. During Fudd's absence, UConn lost two consecutive games for the first time since March 1993 and suffered multiple losses to unranked conference opponents for the first time since 2003–04.
Fudd made her return from a 22-game absence in the Huskies' 69-39 Big East tournament quarterfinal win over Georgetown, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes.
Despite Fudd's return, the UConn Huskies fell short to Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen. Fudd finished her sophomore season averaging 15.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Fudd made her season debut on November 8, 2023, notching 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 102–58 win against Dayton. On November 22, 2023, it was announced that Fudd had torn her right ACL while practicing, ending her season. [9]
She has represented the United States internationally, winning gold medals at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Argentina, the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup in Belarus and 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Hungary. [10]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | UConn | 25 | 17 | 27.9 | 45.7 | 43.0 | 91.2 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 12.1 |
2022–23 | UConn | 15 | 10 | 28.2 | 45.6 | 34.0 | 88.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 15.1 |
Her mother, Katie, played at NC State and Georgetown before being drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2001 WNBA draft, while her father Tim played at American University. [10] She was named after Jennifer Azzi, a player whom her mother admired. [4] She has two younger brothers, Jon and Jose, [11] whom her parents adopted in 2011, [4] and an older brother named Thomas. [12]
In September 2021, Fudd signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with Chipotle, as an ambassador for their "Real Food for Real Athletes" platform. [13] In November 2021, she became an equity partner for sports drink BioSteel Sports Nutrition. [14] In December 2021, Fudd signed with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry's SC30 Inc. brand for "multidimensional" partnership, which includes a sponsorship deal and personal mentoring from the four-time NBA champion. [15] Fudd has recently signed deals with Bose, Nerf, and Buick.
Tina Alexandria Charles is a former American professional basketball player of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Originally from Jamaica, Queens, New York City, Charles was drafted first overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. In 2009 and 2010, she and teammate Maya Moore led the Connecticut Huskies to two undefeated national championships. She has won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNBA draft. In high school, she was the National Gatorade Player of the Year and the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and led the team to three consecutive Final Fours and two consecutive NCAA championship appearances. She finished her Notre Dame career ranked first in points and steals, second in assists, and as a two-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation.
Bria Nicole Hartley is a French-American professional basketball player who recently played for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted seventh overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2014 WNBA draft and was immediately traded to the Washington Mystics. Hartley played shooting guard for the UConn women's basketball team, and won back to back national championships in 2013 and 2014.
Kaleena Jordan Mosqueda-Lewis is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Prior to enrolling at the University of Connecticut she played for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. She played on the USA Basketball U16 National Team, where she helped the team win the FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold Medal. Mosqueda-Lewis was named the 2011 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. In 2015 Mosqueda-Lewis was drafted third overall by the Seattle Storm, going on to win a WNBA championship with the franchise in 2018.
Breanna Mackenzie Stewart is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women.
Niels Giffey is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions. He also represents the Germany national team.
Gabrielle Lisa Williams is an American-French professional basketball player. She was drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2018 WNBA draft. In 2022 she was a EuroLeague champion with Sopron and was named the Final Four MVP. Williams played forward for the UConn women's basketball team, and won back to back national championships in 2015 and 2016.
Katie Lou Samuelson is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
Christyn Williams is an American women's basketball player. She was drafted by the Washington Mystics. She played college basketball at the University of Connecticut (UConn). She played in high school for Central Arkansas Christian School in North Little Rock, Arkansas. A five-star recruit and one of the most decorated high school basketball players in history, Williams rose to national acclaim after winning the 2018 WBCA National Player of the Year award, the 2018 Naismith National Player of the Year award the 2018 Gatorade National Player of the Year award, and the 2018 USA Today Player of the Year award. Williams also was named a McDonald's All-American, where she was named the game's MVP after scoring 22 points and leading the West team to an 82-79 victory. Williams was awarded the Morgan Wootten Award, which is given each year to "the McDonald's All American who best exhibits outstanding character, leadership and the values of a student-athlete in the classroom and the community". Williams was also named to the 2018 Jordan Brand Classic team.
Paige Madison Bueckers is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
Chet Thomas Holmgren is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 2nd overall in the 2022 NBA draft, he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. A consensus five-star recruit and the number-one player in the 2021 class, he stands 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and plays the center and power forward positions.
Aliyah Boston is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She plays the power forward and center positions. She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year.
Cameron Lee Brink is an American college basketball player for the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn.
The 2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 37th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were members of the Big East Conference, which they joined for women's basketball the previous season. UConn was a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982.
Nika Mühl is a Croatian college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference. She plays the point guard position. Twice a Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Mühl is the Huskies' all-time single season record holder for assists with 284 in the 2022-23 campaign.
The 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. It determined the national champion for the 2021–22 season and was contested by the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game was played on April 3, 2022, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the game, the Gamecocks jumped out to an 18-point lead early in the second quarter and held off UConn scoring runs to win the national championship, 64–49. South Carolina's Aliyah Boston was voted the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP). This was UConn's first loss in the women's national championship game.
Caroline Ducharme is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
The 2022–23 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 38th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on their campus in Storrs and the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. UConn is a member of the Big East Conference, which it joined in the 2020–21 season; it had been a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982.
Kira Carroll "Kiki" Rice is an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. She played for Sidwell Friends School at the high school level, where she was one of the top recruits in her class and earned national player of the year honors as a senior.