UConn Huskies' Azzi Fudd Added to Position Award Watchlist
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UConn Huskies star Azzi Fudd has earned another major recognition heading into the 2025-26 season. The graduate guard was named to the prestigious Ann Meyers Drysdale Award preseason watch list.
This honor highlights the nation's top shooting guards. Fudd's inclusion comes after an incredible championship run where she won NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Azzi Fudd has Added to Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List
This is among the most prestigious individual honors in women's college basketball. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame presents the award and recognizes excellence at the shooting guard position.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award has a special meaning. It's named after Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale, who made history as the first player of any gender to earn All-America honors for four straight seasons.
Has Any UConn Player Won the Award Azzi Fudd is Competing For?
UConn has strong connections to this award. Christyn Williams became the first Husky to win it back in 2022 when she was a senior. Most recently, USC's JuJu Watkins won the award in both 2024 and 2025, becoming the first player to win it multiple times.
Now Fudd has the chance to bring the honor back to Storrs and become UConn's second winner.
Fudd joins 20 talented shooting guards on the preseason watch list. The competition includes LSU's Flau'Jae Johnson, South Carolina's Ta'Niya Latson, and Maryland's Kaylene Smikle.
The selection process happens in stages throughout the season. The top 10 finalists will be announced in late January. Then the list gets cut to five finalists in late February. Finally, the winner gets revealed in March.
Fudd showed exactly why she earned this recognition during UConn's exhibition games. In the final preseason game, she was unstoppable with 21 points against Southern Connecticut State.
Fudd did more than just score. She grabbed five steals and dished out four assists in the 105-39 blowout victory.
In an earlier exhibition against Boston College, Fudd poured in 20 points on 77 percent shooting. She caught fire in the third quarter, hitting five three-pointers.
Perhaps most importantly, Fudd is finally healthy after battling knee injuries throughout her college career. "This is the healthiest I've been since I've been at UConn," she said at Big East Media Day.
That health makes her a serious contender for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and other major honors this season.
Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content.