Azzi Fudd once admitted her first impression of Paige Bueckers: "I was like, ‘This white girl got nothing on me’…I quickly realized I was wrong”

The UConn Huskies are aspiring to return to the NCAA national title mountaintop this year after the program last won in 2016. Under the tutelage of legendary coach Geno Auriemma, Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers, and the rest of the Huskies have currently engineered a 10-2 record in the 2024-25 season as Big East Conference play will commence in a few days.

But, with everything they've been through, the tandem of Fudd and Bueckers would want a championship in what could be their final year of college hoops to culminate their standout stints. Their relationship has strengthened through the years, especially after Fudd admitted to Slam three years ago what her first impression of Bueckers was.

"My first impression of Paige, I think it was right before they made the final cuts and we were on the same team and we were both trying out for point guard. I looked at her and was like, 'This white girl got nothing on me, I don’t need to worry about her.' I quickly realized that I was wrong,” Fudd reminisced on.

The team that the fourth-year senior was talking about was not actually the UConn Huskies, but the Team USA Women's U16 squad. There was a FIBA Americas Championship held back in early 2017 in Argentina, which became the first ever time Fudd and Bueckers shared the court.

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd together in 2023. - Source: Imagn

Katie Fudd, Azzi's mother, was even quoted as recalling the time that she witnessed the aforementioned game when her daughter and Bueckers checked in subsequently.

“We saw them play together in Argentina and they both came off the bench...Watching them play together on the court, we just assumed, 'Oh, they must be really tight off the court,” she shared.

With a bond that stems from several years ago, a championship could certainly cement Fudd and Bueckers' name in the Huskies greats. Their senior campaign continues on Sunday, Dec. 29, versus the Providence Friars.

The Azzi Fudd-Paige Bueckers friendship runs deep

Later on, in the piece by Slam, Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers expounded on the kind of relationship they really possess. Bueckers gave an analogy about their bond while the Arlington, Virginia, native then went on to talk about how they complement each other similarly and differently, at the same time.

"I would say our friendship is pretty insane...We have so many similarities, but we also have so many differences. I don’t know, it’s like yin and yang,” Bueckers said.

Fudd then went on to further express, “But I feel like where we’re disconnected, we complement each other.”

Hopefully, a national title for both of them could cap off outstanding collegiate careers when all is said and done.