For the 2nd straight year, UConn has lost one of its star players to a non-contact injury outside their NCAA schedule.
After losing Paige Bueckers for the year in 2022-23, Geno Auriemma’s squad will now be without guard Azzi Fudd for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL and medial meniscal tears in her right knee.
The 5’11” Junior suffered the injury in practice last week, but the team was hopeful that a major injury had been avoided, choosing to sit her out against Maryland and Minnesota. However additional testing confirmed the ligament damage, effectively ending Fudd’s season before it truly began.
“We’re all just so upset for Azzi,” Auriemma said in a statement. “She worked hard to be healthy for this season, and it’s unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and have a setback like this. Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly. I’m confident she’ll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever. We’ll obviously miss her presence on the court, but Azzi will continue to be a great teammate and important part of this team this season. Our program will support Azzi through her recovery however we can.”
The 21 year old had already publicly declared that her plan was to return to UConn for the 2024-25 season, despite being age eligible for the WNBA draft this year. Now it appears as though that decision will be a warranted one, as Fudd will undergo surgery at the UConn Health Centre in the near future. This will allow the versatile guard to fully recover and hopefully showcase her talents for WNBA scouts in her senior year at school.
A former Gatorade National Player of the Year, Fudd is unfortunately no stranger to injuries throughout her career. She previously tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee in 2019, before battling recurring foot issues as a freshman, causing her to miss 11 games. Her sophomore season saw her sidelined for all but 15 games with right knee issues, with a 2nd tear now occurring in 2023-24.
Medical staffers are hopeful that a 2nd procedure on her knee will correct the ongoing issues, and have her back to full health without limitations next fall.
UConn has grown accustomed to dealing with injuries, having at one point in 2022-23 been down to only 8 healthy bodies on their roster. While hopes were high for a much-hyped Bueckers-Fudd duo, the two have only managed to suit for 17 total games together across three seasons with the Huskies.
UConn is next in action on Friday vs. #2 ranked UCLA, followed by a date with Kansas on Saturday at 7pm ET.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.