"I thought she sucked": When Azzi Fudd's mom got real on UConn star's hooping abilities as a young athlete

Modified Apr 10, 2025 00:33 GMT

NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship - Source: Imagn — Azzi Fudd in the win over South Carolina. - Source: Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn

UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd, despite everything she has been through, finally won her first national championship this season. On Sunday, UConn took down the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 to take home the national title from this year's March Madness.

Fudd was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after totaling 24 points, five rebounds, an assist and three steals in 38 minutes. It was a bittersweet moment for the senior, as after a plethora of injuries during her college career, she finally realized her dream.

In February 2021, an ESPN Cover Story documentary on YouTube detailed the torn right ACL and MCL injury that Fudd suffered during practice for the Team USA U18 Girls team. She detailed how she started playing basketball as a kid, a pursuit that her mom, Katie, was critical of her about.

"I just wasn't any good at it. My mom had to force me to play," Fudd said (Timestamp: 1:25).

Katie Fudd then gave her take regarding her daughter's early game, especially since she was a former WNBA player and played for the NC State Wolfpack and Georgetown Hoyas.

"I thought she sucked," Katie said (Timestamp: 1:35). "First time she caught the ball, she turned and just held it out and the girl just took it and went the other way. She was like, 'Huh?'"

Nevertheless, Fudd has become a bona fide college star. She was one of the focal points of the Geno Auriemma-coached program's 12th national championship run. Throughout the year, Fudd averaged 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Azzi Fudd is returning for a fifth and final season with the UConn Huskies

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Before the winner-take-all game for the 2025 national championship, Azzi Fudd had already confirmed that she will return to play for the UConn Huskies for a fifth and final year of eligibility.

UConn finished the 2024-2025 campaign with a dominant 37-3 record, going 18-0 during Big East conference play.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein