The countdown to the 2024-25 NCAA season is officially on, with just 10 days left, all eyes are on Geno Auriemma as he looks to break his eight-year championship drought with the UConn Huskies. This season, Auriemma has a potential No. 1 WNBA draft pick in Paige Bueckers, who is ready to shine, but he’ll also be without Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl, who entered the WNBA after their final season. With these changes, the Huskies are counting on another key player, Azzi Fudd, to step up. However, recent updates from Fudd might leave fans feeling a bit uneasy about her return.

Fudd’s injury is her third in three seasons in Storrs. A foot injury limited the former No. 1 recruit from the class of 2021 to 25 games during her freshman season. Knee injuries sidelined her on two occasions as a sophomore, playing 15 games in all. Then, barely a week into the 2023-24 season, after just two games, Fudd suffered the ACL and meniscal tear in practice.

At the recent Big East Media Day, Azzi Fudd was asked about her return to the court as she continued with her rehab. While the talented guard responded quickly to the question, there was a hint of uncertainty later in her tone.

“I’m feeling really good, feeling strong, so I’m excited,” Fudd cheerfully responded to a reporter’s question shared on Storrs Central. But the reporter wasn’t ready to let it go, bringing up head coach Auriemma’s recent comments about her progress, mentioning that he noted she was practicing—though not quite at full capacity—and was close to returning to full practice. That’s when Fudd’s tone shifted slightly, suggesting that while she’s making progress, a quick return to the court might still be a bit further off than fans would like to hear.

“I’m doing most of practice. I would say I’m still like on load management, like I’m not doing everything. Some days I do more, some days I do a little bit less, but I’m doing most stuff like it’s not, it’s, we’re almost there. I’m excited,” elaborated the UConn #35 on her fitness status. However, this was definitely an optimistic response to what Fudd had said back in May, venting her frustration.

“I’m personally done talking about ‘next year,” she said during an ESPNW Summit in May. “I hate the ‘next year.’ We’re in this year, we’re in the moment. I want to live in the moment. So, I don’t want to do any talking about next year. I guess ‘next year’ is now this year. I don’t want to speak about next year. I want to be present. I want to live in the moment,” she had further added. With that mindset, Fudd has immersed herself with her slow but steady rehab regime.

Fudd has joined hands with NBA star Stephen Curry and his management company SC30. With that, she has worked closely with Curry’s personal Director of Performance, Carl Bergstrom, along with a team of specialists across the country and in Canada, Azzi’s parents, Katie and Tim Fudd had revealed to CT Insider.

Because Fudd has a long career ahead of her, the family wanted to ensure the best possible rehab arrangement for her. Bergstrom, who Azzi had already worked with at Curry Camps, curated the team of doctors and specialists from across the country. Literally, the family crisscrossed the country.

The trainer in Philadelphia, a physical therapist in D.C., Bergstrom in San Francisco, one more physical therapist in Vancouver, and a testing lab in Calgary: such was the regime. Katie took her to Washington D.C. every day for her two-hour physical therapy. Tim says the family traveled roughly five times to Western Canada throughout Fudd’s recovery.

Each trip used to be 4 to 5 days long and included working with the PT staff for about five hours a day. Instead of rushing to an end goal, Bergstrom took a conservative approach. He wanted her to come back better and ready, not just healthy. If Azzi was okayed for walking, it meant she would just do that until she was completely at ease with that, before moving on to a soft jog or a faster pace.

“They wanted it to be a one-year recovery plan. When you think about it that way, it’s an easier way to kind of swallow the ‘This is going to take a little bit longer than your mind thinks it should take.’ But you’re mastering things,” Katie had said about the approach. Azzi could not be more grateful to her family for all the support they offered her.

“My family was such a huge help, because I couldn’t do anything. It was just me and my crutches. I could not do anything for what felt like forever. They were everything I needed. My brothers, my parents, even my grandma who can barely keep herself together, like they were all helping me with everything I needed,” Azzi had said.

There was a day-by-day workout plan for her. It had rehab with strength conditioning focusing on repetition. There were 3 hours of weightlifting each day with Wednesday and Saturday “chill days”. Sundays were completely off. Azzi, her team of specialists, and UConn assistant coach Morgan Valley met through biweekly calls to track her progress.

Fudd returned to campus in January. While she didn’t join the team on road trips, a reunion with her teammates, especially the other injured Huskies, lifted her spirits. Ayanna Patterson (knee), Jana El Alfy (Achilles), Caroline Ducharme (head/neck), and Aubrey Griffin (ACL) were all on the same boat with Azzi and joined Fudd on the sideline during games. The five used to get into private huddles before games.

The Huskies reported back to campus in late August to begin preseason workouts. Azzi was anxious to begin team workouts knowing she wasn’t completely healthy. “I was very nervous because I didn’t feel like I was where I needed to be for this official countdown of being back to school to start. Like leading up to school, it was like, ‘I’m not ready. I’m nervous they’re gonna see me.’ I didn’t think the coaches or anyone in the program would say anything, but it was, like, all stuff that I put on myself,” she said.

But the fear disappeared when she got back together with the other injured Huskies from last season. They were all still healing, with their own pace. All are expected to return healthy this season – Geno Auriemma said in early October that Fudd, Ducharme, and Griffin will not be ready for the November 7 season opener. Azzi’s goal is to spend November getting used to the return to the court and playing with contact and come back fully in December. She said in September that her knee was feeling good with “little to no” aches and pains.

As Azzi revealed, her workouts are currently focused on movement and agility. She undertakes a 45-minute individual workout and a 45-minute conditioning/shooting workout in which she practices running up into a shot or sliding into a shot. Although the exact timing of her return still remains uncertain, head coach Geno Auriemma had offered a rough idea earlier about when the 21-year-old might finally suit up again in UConn’s white and blue.

Coach Geno Auriemma looks forward to Azzi Fudd’s return

Earlier this month, Geno Auriemma spoke with the press and was asked about Azzi Fudd’s availability for the upcoming season. While he shared an update on her progress, he ultimately wrapped things up with hopeful remarks, saying they’re all just praying for her swift return to the court.

“Azzi will probably be back sooner than anyone else. Azzi I’m thinking, certainly she won’t be ready the first week of November, even the second week of November. But before we get into the biggest, most important part of our schedule. Keeping my fingers crossed,” said Auriemma. With 39 years of coaching under his belt and 11 NCAA championships, the Huskies’ veteran coach remains cautiously optimistic as he chases his 12th title.

Last season, Azzi Fudd’s time on the court was cut short after just two games when a torn right ACL and MCL sustained in practice sidelined her for the rest of the year. Despite facing frequent setbacks in her college career, Fudd has managed to tally an impressive 552 points across 42 games for Geno Auriemma’s team. Remarkably, she has maintained a spot in the top three scorers for UConn, proving her scoring ability and resilience each season.

As the Huskies prepare for their season opener against Boston University on November 6th, Fudd may not be on the court for the first game, nor for any of the five additional games scheduled for the month. So December 3 game against Holy Cross might be the one to look forward to.