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UConn’s Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are ready to steal the show

We are now just days away from seeing Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers don their UConn Huskies uniforms and step out on the court together. Geno Aureimma and his squad will begin to work out the kinks in early season action against Arkansas on Sunday, November 14 at 1pm ET. Nationwide, women’s hoops fans will have to wait for UConn’s first nationally televised game against Notre Dame on December 5 (Noon ET on FS1).

Bueckers, the number one recruit of the 2020 class, lived up to the hype and then some with an explosive freshman year at UConn. Her 20 points per game set a new freshman record for the dynastic program. She added 5.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game, all while maintaining an overall shooting percentage of 52.4. She swept all the national player of year awards for which she was eligible, including the Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year, and the Wooden Award, and was the first freshman to ever win each of those honors on the women’s side.

Even then, amidst the showers of praise heaped on Bueckers, you’d hear someone mutter, “But just wait ‘til to you see Azzi Fudd.” 

Just like Bueckers, Fudd was the top recruit in the country for her own class of 2021. She started out as a point guard like Bueckers but has developed into a shooting guard with lights out ability from both inside and outside the arc. In 2019, she became the first sophomore to ever be named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, which she earned by averaging 26 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game that season. After recovering from a nasty knee injury the following summer, her junior season was cut short and her senior season was cancelled completely due to Covid-19. But Fudd never pulled her foot off the gas and stayed focused by training at home, playing for her club team, and with Bueckers on USA Basketball. Before starting her freshman year in Storrs this fall, Fudd helped lead Team USA’s U19 squad to the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup over summer in Latvia.

 

Now, Fudd and Buecker’s basketball journeys have finally converged at UConn, stoking premature chatter about how this duo could outshine that of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

The two athletes have been close friends since first meeting at USA Basketball youth team trainings, and Bueckers had no shame in recruiting Fudd to follow her to UConn. 

Fudd recalled to the Associated Press a time when Bueckers came to her house and played an assist-reel of herself showing all the amazing passes Fudd could reap the benefits of on the court with her. Granted, after the ink had dried on Fudd’s Letter of Intent, Beuckers quipped, “That deal’s over. The recruiting tactic worked. But if she’s open and I’m open, I’ll probably take the shot.”

This is where the real magic of this pairing can be found, not on the stat sheets or highlight reels, but in the genuine connection and endearing banter they have off the court.

Whereas Bueckers is outgoing, witty, and showy, Fudd is more reserved and pensive with less outward bravado. 

“I was just nervous about how I would fit in,” Fudd confessed at a recent media event about arriving to UConn. “I don’t think she [Paige] gets nervous. She helps calm my nerves, but at the same time, I still don’t understand her. We’re very similar, but at the same time very different.” 

The deep friendship they’ve formed is cemented at its core by their shared work ethic and commitment to the pursuit of perfection. They put in the work together in the gym and then let loose off the court, charming viewers with TikToks and friendly ribbing.

@whitechocolate535

Never been dusty 😮‍💨💧 #mediaday #uconn

♬ Help me hit 10k - Shane

When Bueckers capped off last year’s award season by winning the ESPY for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports, she used the spotlight to call out racial bias in media coverage that continues to give white players, like her, more attention than black players.

“I want to shed a light on Black women. They don’t get the media coverage that they deserve,” Bueckers said. “I think it’s time for change. Sports media holds the key to storylines. Sports media and sponsors tell us who is valuable, and you have told the world that I mattered today, and everyone who voted, thank you. But I think we should use this power together to also celebrate Black women.”

Interestingly, Buecker’s challenge to the sports industry to do better now has a perfect test case. Fudd, who is Black, checks all the same boxes as Bueckers: number one recruit, same program, same market, and just one year younger. (The two even have a joint TikTok account facetiously named @WhiteChocolate535.) 

And if Fudd proves to be a comparable, or even more talented, player on the court — as many expect her to be — then we’ll be able to hold our own feet to the flame on differential media treatment.

While the spark between Fudd and Bueckers is the chief attraction, the UConn squad as a whole is focused on winning another national championship. Sitting at No. 2 on the AP preseason rankings (and No. 3 in the JWS rankings) heading into play, the Huskies are returning all five starters from last year’s Final Four roster, including seniors Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Evina Westbrook, and Christyn Williams. These returners will be joined by the number two recruiting class in the country, headlined by Fudd and the No. 5 overall recruit, Caroline Ducharme. Adding 6’5” Ohio State grad transfer Dorka Juáhsz to the front court was icing on the cake for Auriemma. 

“She could be the difference that puts us into that other level,” he said of Juhász after seeing her in practices.

Given the deep pool of talent and the no-BS program they’ve chosen to play for, if Bueckers and Fudd put on the show we’ve all been anticipating, fans could be in for a historic display of basketball skill, individual drive, and collective brilliance. UConn is always must-watch TV, and with two generational talents sharing the floor, this year has the chance to raise the bar again. 

Indiana Fever Shoots for Redemption Against Seattle Storm

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark waits for an inbound pass during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Fever are looking to end a two-game losing streak. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.

Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.

"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.

While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:

  • No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.
  • No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
  • No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.
  • No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.

WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds Shift as 2025 Draft Picks Heat Up

Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron guards Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers during a 2025 WNBA game.
Washington rookie Sonia Citron and first-year Dallas star Paige Bueckers are both off to hot starts in their WNBA careers. (Stephen Goslings/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA Class of 2025 is already making its mark on the league, with first-year players stepping up and showing out while the Rookie of the Year race — and betting odds — heat up.

No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers has been just as good as advertised, with the Dallas Wings guard leading her class in both minutes played and points per game while also charting league-wide in assists per game, steals per game, and mid-range shots made.

DraftKings currently has Bueckers as the clear WNBA Rookie of the Year race frontrunner at -1,000, though the dynamic DC duo of guard Sonia Citron (+1,500) and forward Kiki Iriafen (+1,000) are quickly gaining traction.

Iriafen won May's WNBA Rookie of the Month award after a series of career-opening double-doubles, while her Washington Mystics teammate Citron has continued to execute in the clutch — most recently posting a career-high double-double performance of 27 points and 11 rebounds in last Sunday's 91-88 overtime win over Dallas.

"Not only is [Iriafen] holding her own, she's excelling," Citron told JWS earlier this month. "And seeing that is just incredible."

"Soni just does all the little things," Iriafen added. "She doesn't shortcut anything, she's doing the fundamentals, she doesn't cheat the game at all."

International Signings Ramp Up as Soccer Teams Break for Women’s Euro 2025

San Diego Wave forward María Sánchez dribbles the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Diego forward María Sánchez is transferring to Liga MX side UANL Tigres. (John Matthew Harrison/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Though the NWSL hit the pause button this week, players worldwide are still on the move, as both European and US soccer teams use the midseason break to sharpen their lineups with international signings.

The NWSL has already seen one major departure, with the San Diego Wave announcing Monday that forward María Sánchez will return to her former Liga MX club UANL Tigres after nearly five years in the NWSL, with the Wave set to receive an undisclosed transfer fee in return.

"When the opportunity came to return to Tigres, I had to do a lot of inner searching, and I ultimately decided that returning to Liga MX Femenil and Tigres specifically was the best course of action for my career," the 29-year-old dual citizen and Mexico international player said in the Wave's release.

NWSL clubs are also setting their sights on European free agents, with the Washington Spirit bringing in Juventus forward Sofia Cantore last week — the first Italian signing in league history.

Also hopping aboard the player transaction carousel is new WSL side London City, with the top-flight debutantes inking OL Lyonnes midfielder and Dutch international Daniëlle van de Donk on Friday.

Meanwhile, van de Donk's wife and club teammate Ellie Carpenter is also potentially WSL-bound, with the defender reportedly nearing a deal that would see the Australian join Chelsea FC in return for the Blues sending Canadian international Ashley Lawrence to OL Lyonnes.

For their part, OL Lyonnes picked up defender Ingrid Engen from Barcelona as a free agent last week, adding the Norwegian international after snagging French forward and PSG's all-time leading scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto earlier this month.

With the most recent NWSL CBA abolishing traditional trade windows, expect even more international signings and roster reshufflings before the league resumes play on August 1st.

San Diego Wave Honors Alex Morgan with Jersey Retirement

San Diego Wave players applaud Alex Morgan as she exits the pitch during her final NWSL game in 2024.
Morgan won the NWSL Shield with San Diego in 2023. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

San Diego is paying tribute to one of their own, with the Wave announcing plans to retire the No. 13 jersey of NWSL and USWNT legend Alex Morgan on September 7th.

Still topping the team's all-time scoring leaderboard with 23 goals in just over two seasons with San Diego, the retired club captain will be the first-ever Wave player to receive the prestigious honor.

Morgan also led San Diego to the 2023 NWSL Shield as well as postseason appearances in the 2022 expansion club's first two seasons.

"Alex's legacy goes far beyond goals and accolades. She helped lay the foundation for this club and elevated the standard for what women's soccer is today," said Wave FC governor Lauren Leichtman in the team's Tuesday announcement.

"She made this city her home, inspired our fans and community, and helped define who we are," Leichtman continued. "Her impact will be felt for generations, and it's only fitting that her number becomes a permanent part of Wave FC history." 

Morgan joined the Southern California squad's ownership group just last month, saying "San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career."

How to attend the San Diego jersey retirement of Alex Morgan

San Diego will officially retire Morgan's No. 13 jersey during their home match against the Houston Dash at 8 PM ET on September 7th.

Tickets to the game will go on sale to the general public online at 6 PM ET on Tuesday.

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