Here’s 5 things to know about Fudd

By now, you’ve surely heard of her. Azzi Fudd isn’t just any prospect; she’s been billed the next big thing in women’s basketball. The 5foot-11 guard from St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., is as complete a player to enter college in quite some time, and it just so happens she’ll be heading to UConn.

As we near Fudd’s longanticipated arrival in

Storrs later this month, here’s five things to know about the newest Husky.

SHE CAUGHT UCONN’S EYE AS A SEVENTH-GRADER:

Azzi Fudd signed with UConn on Nov. 11 — the first day of the early signing period and her 18th birthday — concluding a long, winding recruitment process. The consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2021, Fudd chose the Huskies over UCLA, Louisville, and Maryland.

Fudd landed on the Huskies’ radar as a seventh-grader, and took an unofficial visit to Storrs during her freshman year

at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.

When Paige Bueckers committed in April 2019, speculation ramped up about whether Fudd would soon follow her close friend to UConn. But Fudd needed more time to make her decision, and UConn — within reason — had no issue waiting.

“She had her process, she kept moving forward,” UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey said. “I said to her in March (2020), ‘as long we keep moving forward.’ In June, she was moving forward closer to a decision. The issue would’ve been if she felt the

same in March as she did in August. Then that’s somebody that can’t make a decision. Every month, I had to say, ‘Are we moving forward?’ She said, ‘I am.’ That’s all you can ask. You can’t beat a decision out of a kid. Some girls are unable to make one. God bless them. They end up where they end up. They pull a name out of a hat.”

HER JUMPER HAS BEEN COMPARED TO SOME NBA GREATS:

Before her sophomore season at St. John’s, Fudd was one of the first two girls invited to Stephen Curry’s SC30 Select Camp. Fudd opened eyes there by besting some of the country’s top boys’ prospects in a 3-point shooting contest.

The seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time MVP has compared Fudd’s textbook jumper to Ray Allen and Klay Thompson, telling ESPN she “can be going full speed, and stop on a dime and have, like, a feathery release.”

Jonathan Scribner, Fudd’s coach at St. John’s, called her the most efficient player he’s ever seen.

“Late in games, the last two or three minutes, we wanted to put the ball in her hands every single possession,” Scribner said. “In crunch time and overtime, she was a stone-cold killer.”

SHE’S A RISING CELEBRITY:

Fudd lived what Scribner called a “LeBron James-type” experience in high school, signing autographs

and posing for photos with scores of fans. Just 18 years old, she’s attracted more than 10,000 followers on Twitter and 159,000 on Instagram and even had her own collection of T-shirts — AZ35 — created in conjunction with

Hoop Planet USA.

Her celebrity will only grow at UConn. The Huskies are always the center of the conversation, and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon.

What always impresses those in Fudd’s circle is how well she’s dealt with the attention, unwanted as it may be in some instances. According to her father, she “hates the spotlight.”

“I’m not one to really think about that kind of stuff,” Fudd said of the

anticipation surrounding her arrival. “I’ve never focused on that kind of thing, so I’m not sure how I’m going to handle it.”

SHE’S BEST BUDDIES WITH BUECKERS:

Fudd and Bueckers are nearly inseparable. They’ve been spending most weekends together since UConn’s season ended, working out privately with Alex

McLean, an assistant coach with the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

Bueckers recently had to slow things down following right ankle surgery, but remains a frequent visitor to the Fudds’ northern Virginia home.

“They’re very, very close. They’re also extremely competitive with each other,

which you would expect,” Scribner said. “While they’re great, great friends, they both want to beat each other on the court.”

SHE COMES FROM AN ATHLETIC BACKGROUND:

Fudd’s mother, Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd, starred in college for North Carolina State and Georgetown. Twice the Big East’s top scorer, she was drafted 62nd overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in 2001. Her WNBA career, though, was cut short due to injuries. Tim, Fudd’s adoptive father, played at American University and was later an assistant for Longwood’s men’s team.

Fudd