UConn's Azzi Fudd Gets Real About Excitement of Healthy Season
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UConn Huskies star Azzi Fudd opened up about her health and mindset ahead of the 2025-26 season at Big East Media Day. She is feeling stronger than ever after battling through years of injuries.
Fudd made a powerful statement about her current physical condition during media availability. When asked how she's feeling compared to earlier points in her career, her excitement appears to be at its highest level.
"I don't know, it just gets me so excited because I think this is the healthiest I've been since I've been at UConn," Fudd said. "So I'm excited just to see what a healthy season looks like for me. Having a healthy preseason, a healthy summer going into this year, feeling confident mentally but also physically. I think it's going to be super exciting".
Azzi Fudd: "To think how far I came just last year, and what wasn't even a year of me playing <a full season>, it gets me so excited because I think this is the healthiest I've been since I've been at UConn." pic.twitter.com/YrRQoubYHW
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) October 21, 2025
What Injuries Has Azzi Fudd Overcome?
The statement in itself has a lot of weight. Her freshman season in 2021-22 was disrupted by a stress injury to her right foot that sidelined her for 11 games.
Her sophomore year brought even more challenges. Fudd suffered a right knee injury when a teammate fell on her knee during a game against Notre Dame in December 2022. She missed eight games before returning.
Just one game after her return, she injured the same knee again against Georgetown. That second injury cost her 22 games and nearly ended her season.
The most devastating blow came in November 2023. Fudd tore her ACL and medial meniscus in her right knee during practice, forcing her to miss almost the entire 2023-24 season after playing just two games.
She returned to action in November 2024 but suffered another knee sprain in December that kept her out for three more games.
Despite these setbacks, Fudd reflected on how adversity has shaped her and the team. "Not just me individually, but as a whole unit, we've overcome and gone through so much that we really know how to stick together when things get tough," she said at the conference.
Azzi Fudd on what she's learned from conquering adversity:
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) October 21, 2025
"The adversity I've been through has taught me a lot about how strong I am... Being able to reflect and realize, 'Look at all that I've overcome, nothing should be able to deter me.'" pic.twitter.com/nFOSedxB4Q
Fudd's hard work paid off in the 2024-25 season. She played in 34 games, her longest healthy stretch at UConn, averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting 43.6% from three-point range.
She had developed stronger chemistry with Paige Bueckers, often spacing the floor with lethal three-point shooting and mentoring younger guards like KK Arnold.
Now entering her final season with the Huskies, Fudd is ready to showcase what a fully healthy version of herself can accomplish on college basketball's biggest stage.
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.