"It's not easy playing here": Azzi Fudd concisely sums up how hard her UConn career has been under Geno Auriemma

Life has been difficult for Azzi Fudd at UConn. The Huskies star made that clear during an interview on the show "Geno & CD: 40 Years of Excellence." On Tuesday, Sports network SNY posted a two-minute preview of the second episode of the documentary, which tackles the legendary 40-year partnership between Huskies coaches Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey.

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma speaks with guard Azzi Fudd (#35) during their Big East Women's Basketball Tournament championship game against the Villanova Wildcats on March 6, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena. Photo: Getty

Fudd was among the UConn players, both past and present, who were interviewed to give an inside look at the winning culture Auriemma and Dailey built in Storrs. The short clip offered a sneak peek at the players' insights, including interviews with Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream center Tina Charles. Fudd smiled as she recalled her experiences playing for UConn:

"It's not easy playing here. But if you play hard, it makes it a little bit easier," Fudd said (Timestamp 1:30).

Staying healthy has been a significant challenge for Fudd during her time at UConn. Knee injuries affected her sophomore and junior seasons with the Huskies. She missed most of the 2022-23 NCAA season after injuring her right knee in the games against Notre Dame and Georgetown.

Her bad luck continued the following season when she tore her right ACL and meniscus during practice on Nov. 22, 2023, ruling her out for the entire 2023-24 season. Unfortunately, Fudd encountered another setback in the 2024-25 NCAA season, suffering a knee sprain during the game against Louisville on Dec. 7.

Azzi Fudd returns to starting lineup in UConn's win over Providence

Azzi Fudd avoided a serious injury against the Cardinals and missed only three games for the Huskies. She made her return to UConn's lineup on Dec. 21, in a game against the USC Trojans. Unfortunately, she went scoreless in the Huskies' 72-70 loss, shooting 0-for-4 from the field in eight minutes of play.

UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (#35) shoots against USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (#12) and center Rayah Marshall (#13) in the first half of their NCAA game at XL Center. Photo: Imagn

Geno Auriemma placed Fudd back in the starting lineup in Sunday's game against Providence. She contributed this time, scoring eight points in the Huskies' 67-41 win over the Friars. However, Fudd struggled with her shooting, missing eight of her 11 field-goal attempts, including going 2-of-6 from the three-point arc.