- Dallas Wings. Paige Bueckers signs shocking deal that could shake the WNBA and lure Caitlin Clark before de Draft
- NCAA. Azzi Fudd says Kobe and Gigi Bryant's spirit helped fuel UConn's title win
The UConn Huskies women's basketball program reclaimed its place at the top of the NCAA this season, defeating South Carolina in a commanding title game performance.
That victory marked the team's first national championship since 2016, and it was fueled by the long-awaited on-court pairing of Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers, two stars whose friendship and perseverance have defined this era of Huskies basketball.
Azzi Fudd ready to lead UConn into a new era
But while the championship celebration was still fresh, the next chapter began almost immediately.
Bueckers declared for the WNBA Draft and is expected to go No. 1 overall, while Fudd quickly made her intentions clear: she's not done yet.
"Let's run it back next year!" she told a roaring crowd at UConn's championship rally in Hartford.
Fudd, who earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the Final Four after dropping 24 points in the title game, reflected on the journey with gratitude but showed no signs of lingering on the past.
"This championship means everything," she said.
"But to do it with this team, this team is so special. These girls, my sisters, my friends for life. We have been through so much together."
She continued: "To win this, get through all that adversity and bring it home... the bond that we have, the love that we play with, it shows every single night."
Fudd's time at UConn hasn't been easy.
Injuries kept her off the court for stretches, and her highly anticipated partnership with Bueckers often faced setbacks.
Yet through it all, they leaned on each other.
"To say that these four years have not gone according to plan... is to put it lightly,"Fudd itted.
"Whether we were both on the court, both out, one on the court, one out... it's been incredibly special."
Now, with Bueckers gone, Fudd steps into a leadership role that feels both natural and necessary.
She's opting to return to Storrs not for sentiment, but for unfinished business, and with her eyes fixed squarely on another title.
As UConn reloads and the rest of the NCAA takes notice, Azzi Fudd's message is loud and clear: she's not looking back, she's leading the charge forward.