‘My last free summer:’ Fudd returns to University of Connecticut after globetrotting offseason

University of Connecticut basketball star Azzi Fudd was everywhere this summer. The Washington-area native tossed a first pitch for the Nationals, toured China with Steph Curry and hosted a camp for children at her old high school with proceeds going to charity.

It was likely her last real break for more than a year.

Fudd is now back on campus in Connecticut. Though organized team activities haven’t started yet, the reigning national champion has started organizing pickup games and workouts for her teammates.

Fudd will likely roll from preseason workouts to the regular season to the NCAA Tournament and the subsequent WNBA draft, where she is widely expected to be a Top 5 pick.

She’s comfortable moving full speed ahead.

“In May was the first time I thought about it: This is my last preseason in college, my last first game, my last summer at home, my last free summer,” Fudd told The Washington Times before she returned to school. “That was crazy to think that in less than a year, I’ll be playing professionally. I don’t like it — the whole, ‘This is my last this, huh?’”

The reigning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player has a leg up in the pending transition, though. Her girlfriend, Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, has already made the move from the University of Connecticut to the WNBA as the top pick in this year’s draft.

Countless other former teammates have given Fudd tips about how to approach her final months as a student-athlete.

“I’ve been super lucky to have that; it gives me a better idea of what to expect, what it’s going to be like,” Fudd said.

The reality is exciting, but daunting. No pre-game meals, no team-mandated dress code or sweatsuit for travel days, no roommates on the road.

“It makes you want to appreciate your last season, doing all these little things with your team and being super close-knit with them,” she said. “I really want to enjoy this last year and get everything I can out of it, both on the court and off.”

Fudd’s dance card has been booked all summer.

Every week, a new Azzi Fudd venture seemed to pop up on social media. She confirmed her relationship with Bueckers while attending July’s WNBA All-Star festivities. She drew a warm ovation from Nationals fans as she tossed out a ceremonial pitch. Her podcast, “Fudd Around and Find Out,” debuted through a partnership with iHeart Media’s women’s sports arm.      

Her August trip to China with Curry — her favorite NBA player — was the latest step in a long-standing mentor-mentee connection between the pair.

“She’s the ‘People’s Princess,’” said Morgan Valley, an assistant coach at UConn. “She’s smart and funny and sweet, someone fun to be around.”

Back home

Her trips back to the District are more than just publicity, though.

Fudd started hosting her “Hoop for a Cure” camp when she was still a student at St. John’s High School in the District nearly eight years ago. After catching national headlines as one of the first girls to attend Curry’s development camps — and winning the ensuing three-point contest — Fudd wanted to use her love of basketball for a purpose.

Though it originally raised money for the Pat Summitt Foundation, Fudd donated this year’s proceeds to the Abigail Zittoun Family Foundation. The change was meant to honor Abby, the 13-year-old fan who became close with the University of Connecticut women’s team before dying of cancer last year.

Abby visited the Huskies and immediately clicked with the players. They exchanged phone numbers and the team would visit the Zittoun house regularly to watch movies, play games and split ice cream.

“So many of us became part of Abby’s life, but she became a huge part of our lives as well,” Fudd said. “Being able to spend time with her was a way for all of us to get away from whatever we were dealing with in life.

But the intent extends beyond funds, Fudd explains. The annual camp — which she hopes to organize for years to come — lets her remember a lost friend.

“The smile that she had, her personality, her jokes were just so incredibly infectious. You’d see Abby at a game and smile,” Fudd said. “We’ve been trying to honor her in any way we can and felt like this was what she stood for.”

The college star is paying it forward. She fondly remembers her time at similar camps hosted by Curry and WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Public speaking isn’t Fudd’s forte, she said. The accompanying press obligations — including her interview with The Times — are a dreaded part of the build-up. It’s all worth it when she steps back on the court with dozens of adolescents — she was just like them less than 10 years ago.

“There’s no better feeling than coming away from that and seeing all the smiles on the kids’ faces. And having the parents be like, ‘Thanks so much,’” Fudd said. “That is just the best feeling.”

Added aggression

The world tour hasn’t stopped the grind for Fudd. Throughout her college career — which was temporarily derailed by injuries — she’s embraced supporting roles on the star-studded UConn roster. She flipped a switch this summer.

“I’ve never seen Azzi this aggressive, this engaged in wanting to do a lot, and that’s probably stood out more than anything else,” University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma told reporters in June. “Her personality is such that she likes being in the background to somebody else, whoever that may be. She likes when there’s a lot of other good players on the team.”

Fudd was a vocal leader during the Huskies’ summer activities.

“She’s just more aggressive, more assertive, more ‘If I don’t like the way things are going, I want to take over,’” Auriemma said.

The sharp-shooting guard has always been something of a perfectionist, inspired by the precise shooting stroke of Curry. That hasn’t changed.

“You’re so compact. Everything is, like, perfect. …” Bueckers told Fudd on Instagram’s “Close Friends” show last month. “Your shot is always: shoulders square, feet square, elbow in and tucked, hips square, follow through.”

Fudd isn’t one-dimensional, though. She’s only scratching the surface as a defender and playmaker. The 22-year-old will need to prove her ability to carry an offense in her first season without Bueckers in the backcourt.

“She can do everything. A few years ago, prior to her getting hurt, she was probably the best player in the country,” Valley said. “With some of the injuries she’s had, we’ve gotten glimpses, but we’ve never seen how good she truly is.”

A rested and healthy Fudd will kick off the season on Nov. 4 against Louisville at the Armed Forces Classic at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.