As Azzi Fudd tapped the scorer’s table to check into her first game of the 2024-25 season against Farleigh Dickinson, she was met by a resounding ovation from the sold-out Gampel Pavilion crowd.
Donned in all red for head coach Geno Auriemma’s record-setting night, the 10,167 strong showered the beloved veteran with feverish screams and chants of her moniker: the People’s Princess.
The sharpshooting wing took a second to soak in the atmosphere before she jogged onto the court, unleashing her hallmark, beaming smile in between gazes at the roaring sea of red. It was something she hadn’t been able to all too often during her tenure as a Husky.
FDU marked Fudd’s first game back after suffering ACL and medial meniscus tears in practice early into the 2023-24 season, which, along with separate foot and knee injuries, had limited her to 42 games in three years in Storrs.
Up until that point, it felt as though Fudd’s career, which had shown flashes of offensive dominance, would be written in brilliant but unfinished chapters – marred by a slew of devastating injuries.
Over 15 months, a decision to return to Connecticut and a national championship ring later, however, that narrative has shifted.
“There’s no doubt, no second guessing,” Fudd said of her game this year. “Where before, it was better, but it was still in the back of my mind; that little doubt would creep into my mind – that’s completely gone.”
Now 28 games into her fifth season in Storrs, Fudd is one two Huskies to play in and start every game for the nation’s top-ranked team, and her 57 consecutive appearances rank second behind only Ashlynn Shade.
And while injury and illness ravaged Connecticut’s roster at the turn of the New Year, Fudd served as the Huskies’ stabilizer on both ends of the floor, balancing the lead role in Auriemma’s 3-point heavy scheme with guarding the opposing team’s top perimeter player on every possession.
“I knew she wanted to come back for one more year,” Auriemma said. “If you asked anybody around the country [about Azzi Fudd last year], they’d go, ‘that’s the kid that used to be a really good shooter, she used to play at UConn.’”
It’s a decision Fudd said was 100% worth it.
“I definitely made the right decision, and this year has been honestly the most fun from every perspective. I’ve grown a lot, I’ve had so much fun and I would do it again.”
Yet none of her 104 career games have packed the emotional punch that Sunday’s Senior Day ceremony will, which will take place after UConn’s (28-0, 17-0) game against Providence (14-14, 7-10).
“I haven’t been emotional at all this year,” Fudd admitted, “I haven’t really thought about it. So, when I do, it’s going to hit me like a truck. I’m glad that the ceremony is after the game, so I don’t have to worry about it beforehand. When it hits me, it’s going to be bad.”
Sunday will serve as a coronation of Fudd’s resiliency; a testament to her dogged perseverance and unwavering faith in the face of debilitating injuries; a celebration of her development from a reserved but capable 3-point shooter to an All-American caliber defender and, most importantly, her resolute commitment to the UConn Standard.
The “Standard,” as Auriemma alludes to before every game during the team’s hype video, is one that’s been passed down between generations of UConn titans.
Play hard, play smart and have fun.
But it was hard for Fudd, who spent the majority of her first three seasons in dimly lit training rooms enduring grueling rehabilitation treatments, to meet such a physically demanding standard. So, she and Caroline Ducharme, who’s also missed time with injuries of her own, transformed it into a mental labyrinth centered around internal resolve.
“It’s funny how much we’ve gone through together,” Ducharme said, reflecting on the over 10-year friendship between her and Fudd. “We’ve both been through our fair share, but we’ve always had each other’s back. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get through this without her, and she appreciates my support.”
“I’m sure the two of them sit in the back of the bus so they can talk about all the scars that they have,” Auriemma added. “Mental scars, physical scars, all the great times that they’ve had here.”
That mental discipline finally started to pay off during the Huskies’ historic 2025 March Madness run, when Fudd spearheaded 85 and 82-point efforts in the Final Four and National Championship game en route to an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award.
It felt as though Fudd, who averaged over 31 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament, was finally comfortable on the court; her status quo multi-3-point showings were supplemented throughout the postseason with a handful of steals or assists per game.
“‘Can she hold up for an entire season and do what she did [in the NCAA Tournament] for an entire season?’” Auriemma said, referencing critics of Fudd’s durability this off season. “For the most part, I think they’ve seen that.”
He certainly isn’t wrong. Alongside superstar forward Sarah Strong, Fudd has coupled her elite shot making with bottlenecking on-ball defense, helping engineer the nation’s lone undefeated team on a 44-game win streak.
Fudd’s 18 points, 2.4 steals, 3 assists and 47% mark from 3 are all career-highs – and she’s doing it all on an average north of 28 minutes. In February alone, Fudd is averaging 23 points, 3 steals, 3 assists and 3 rebounds while shooting at a 62% clip from 3.
“She’s become more confident, better able to just be herself and feel like [she] can have some kind of normal relationship with you,” Auriemma said. “She was much more guarded, much more close to the vest when she first got here. She’s much more open, much more engaging with people and trying to have a lot more fun with what she’s doing.”
It’s something Fudd had to do as the posterchild of the sport’s premier program, especially for the underclassmen that look up to her as a role model.
“She’s found her stride and found her voice,” Auriemma said, reflecting on the five years he’s spent around Fudd. “From where she was when she got here, she’s come a long way.”