Azzi Fudd on the Shelf with Injury
The Story: Sharpshooter Azzi Fudd is headed to the sidelines with a stress fracture in one of her feet and is out a minimum of two weeks, per Geno Auriemma.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Fudd hurt the foot during the summer and has tried to fight through it, but Geno shut down his prized freshman. Fudd, who is the most hyped shooter to reach the college ranks in some time, has had an up-and-down beginning to her time in Storrs.
• She’s averaging 7.5 points per game and shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range, but the movement and energy haven’t been what we expected. She’s a more dynamic player and scorer than she’s shown and mobility issues with the foot injury haven’t helped.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “She’s not gonna be playing for a while. Best to be cautious, it’s a long season, and even more importantly, it’s a long career for her. We’ll see in two weeks where it goes from there.”
NEXT PERSON UP: Geno is oddly reluctant to go to a deep bench, but this is the time for fellow freshman Caroline Ducharme, another top-five recruit and a sharpshooter, and perhaps Nika Muhl and Mir McLean to get more burn. Ducharme isn’t at Fudd’s level as a shooter but is considered another elite 3-point option. UConn doesn’t get much off the bench as it is, so this is going to be an opportunity for an out-of-the-rotation player to play for an extended period of time.
WHAT WILL FUDD MISS? The Huskies open Big East play tomorrow when they play Seton Hall and they will play again Sunday against Notre Dame. The Huskies’ games against Georgia Tech and UCLA the following week are also out of play.
FUDD STILL SELLS: It just happens the day we learned Fudd isn’t going to play for a while that the female version of Stephen Curry — Fudd — signed a NIL sponsorship deal with Curry’s SC30 agency. She has a relationship with Curry after meeting him at a camp several years ago and shooters like to talk with other shooters.
GRIFFIN TO RETURN! While Fudd’s out, it looks like Aubrey Griffin will return to action this weekend after missing the entire season with back issues.
Morning Reads
• Dan Hurley was not happy with the Huskies’ sluggish performance against Maryland Eastern Shore and blamed himself for poor preparation. Good luck on Saturday, Grambling State. (Hartford Courant)
• Jim Mora formally welcomed Nick Charlton, 33, to the football staff as the offensive coordinator. Charlton was the head coach at Maine the last two seasons. UConn was 128th out of 130 teams in total offense this season. (Hartford Courant)
• Ryan Tverberg is one of 35 players invited to the Canada Junior National team tryouts. (UConnHuskies.com)
