They’ve got next
UConn recruits Fudd, Ducharme, DeBerry excited to watch Huskies’ title chase
SAN ANTONIO — Azzi Fudd is an 18-year-old supernova. She is being called the next big thing in women’s basketball, a star so big she has her own line of merchandise.
“It’s very special,” says her mother, Katie. “I think she realizes that.”
Of course she does. Fudd’s cognizant of everything — the hype, publicity, even those forecasts that have her being a more polished prospect than her good friend and future UConn teammate, Paige Bueckers.
“I laugh. She’s really
cool,” Fudd says of Bueckers, the first freshman to win Assocated Press Player of the Year. “We don’t ever compare ourselves like that, and I don’t want to be like her. I think we complement each other really well.
“I think it’s part of the reason why I went there, was just to play with her and other amazing players. I want to be able to play with them and not try to shine brighter than them.”
Fudd, a 5-foot-11 guard out of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., signed with UConn on Nov. 11 — her 18th birthday.
She’s now in San Antonio. So, too, are Amari DeBerry and Caroline Ducharme, two of UConn’s other prized recruits from the Class of 2021. The trio, invited to participate in the Who’s Nxt? All-American Game, are soaking in the experience.
They’ll be at the Alamodome Friday night to watch the Huskies — back at the Final Four for the 13th straight season and 21st time overall — take on Arizona.
Naturally, the excitement is running high.
“It’s just really cool to be here supporting my team and seeing my future teammates killing it out on the court,” DeBerry said.
“Paige is doing insanely awesome. All of them are doing so well.”
DeBerry joked she may be easy to spot in the crowd.
“Everyone’s going to be staring at me because I’m going to be going crazy,” she said. “At home, I’m screaming at the TV, I’m jumping, I’m clapping. It’s my first time being at a Final Four. And so we might be able to stay through the championship game, too, when they win.”
Said Ducharme: “I’ve always watched a lot of the March Madness games, but being able to watch this year knowing that’s where I’m going to be, that it’s only a year away, it’s exciting.”
DeBerry, a 6-foot-5 forward out of Williamsville South High School (N.Y.), hopes to be back on this stage one year from now, not as a fan, of course, but as a player. She sees no reason why she can’t.
The Huskies (28-1) don’t have a senior on their current roster. Bueckers’ meteoric rise, coupled with the impending arrival of Fudd, the newly minted Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, has some predicting another Breanna Stewart-esque string of NCAA championships for the Huskies.
Their last title was in 2016, Stewart’s last season. The five years without a title is by most accounts considered a drought in Storrs.
“Everyone wants to win a championship all four years at their school,” DeBerry said, “and I really think that’s a very high possibility for us, especially being surrounded with all the players that are already there.
“You always want to win national championships. To see all the players that have gone through that program and come out, some of the best players known in women’s basketball, I want to be a part of that and come out the same way.”
UConn’s 2021 class is among the most hyped in the nation. Fudd (No. 1),
Ducharme (No. 5), and DeBerry (No. 15) are all rated five-star prospects by ESPN. The fourth member of the group, Saylor Poffenbarger (No. 30), enrolled early in January and has already played in 12 games with the Huskies.
They’ve kept close tabs on the team, especially Bueckers, who has become possibly the most electrifying player in the sport. Bueckers, a 5-foot-11 guard out of Minnesota, leads the Huskies in scoring (20.1), assists (5.8), steals (2.3), 3-point percentage (45.9), and minutes per game (36.0).
“You can just tell that she’s different,” DeBerry said. “Everyone wants it, but she just goes out and really just leaves it all out there on the court every time.”
“I think we all expected her to do it,” added Fudd. “But it’s one thing expecting her to go be amazing in college and another thing for her to actually do it.”
If possible, expectations may be even greater for Fudd. She’s considered a generational talent, the most complete player the high school game has seen in years. Her jump shot has earned praise from NBA star Stephen Curry.
On top of that, she now has her own clothing line, the AZ35 Collection, created in collaboration with Hoop Planet USA.
“She deserves it,” DeBerry said of the notoriety. “All the attention is always on her, and just for her to stay at the standard that everyone sees, just to keep it there, it’s impressive.”
Fudd is currently recovering from a sprained left foot, which kept her from playing alongside DeBerry and Ducharme in Friday’s All-American Game. She’s been limited to shooting and ball-handling workouts, but hopes to get out of her walking boot soon.
Earlier this week, she was in Indianapolis where Ducharme, a 6-1 guard out of Noble & Greenough School in Massachusetts, won the American Family Insurance Girls 3-point contest.