UConn star Azzi Fudd, a former No. 1 overall recruit and potential future WNBA lottery pick, will make her return on Wednesday night when the Huskies host Fairleigh Dickinson. Fudd missed all but two games last season after tearing her ACL and has not played since Nov. 12, 2023.
The program announced the news on social media with a video featuring part of a quote Fudd gave in May at the ESPNW Summit. "Just knowing that I'm gonna continue to keep working, rolling with the punches," Fudd said. "I'm gonna put myself in a place where next year, I'm gonna have a great season and it's gonna make it all worth it."
Soon? How about now.
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 20, 2024
Azzi Fudd is BACK. pic.twitter.com/8g0OoLg8Fi
Fudd's exploits in high school, which included being named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2019 as a sophomore, caught the attention of NBA star Stephen Curry, who invited her to the SC30 Select Camp, his exclusive offseason training camp. "I had never really experienced people's perspectives opening right in front of their eyes," Curry said of Fudd's performance. "It was like, 'This girl's out here doggin' these guys.'"
She later tore her ACL and MCL while participating in a USA Basketball U18 event, and knee issues have plagued her ever since. Since arriving in Storrs in 2021, she's played just 42 total games due to an array of injuries, including her torn ACL last season.
When healthy, Fudd has shown flashes of her dynamic talent, particularly in her freshman season, when she helped the Huskies reach the 2022 national championship. Overall, though, her health situation has prevented her from making the kind of impact everyone expected at the collegiate level.
That could change this campaign, as the No. 2-ranked Huskies boast one of the best teams in the country led by Naismith Player of the Year favorite Paige Bueckers. If Fudd can get back to her best, the Huskies have a real chance to dethrone South Carolina and capture their first national title since 2016. On a personal level, Fudd will want to show everyone she's still a future lottery pick in the WNBA, whether that's in 2025 or 2026. (She has an extra year of eligibility and can return to school next season.)
Fudd's return is not the only major storyline for Wednesday's contest. The Huskies are a massive favorite against the Knights, and a victory would give Geno Auriemma the most wins (1,217) in NCAA Division I history for men's or women's basketball.
