UConn hangs No. 35 as Azzi Fudd becomes 25th Huskies of Honor inductee
The guard, who led the team to the 2025 national title, joins the program’s most exclusive list after a five-year career marked by injuries and record-breaking shooting.
By Nia Foster ·
Azzi Fudd will have her No. 35 jersey permanently displayed in Gampel Pavilion on Sunday. UConn will induct the former guard into the Huskies of Honor at 1:30 p.m., a ceremony preceding the team’s 2:00 p.m. game against No. 10 Iowa.
The induction makes Fudd the 25th player to join the program’s most prestigious in-house honor. She becomes the latest addition to a roster that includes Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, and Sue Bird. The list, created in 2006, requires players to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and earn First-Team All-American honors.
Fudd’s path to the rafters was interrupted by recurring injuries. She missed large portions of her freshman and sophomore years due to foot and knee issues. In her junior season, an ACL tear and medial meniscal tear sidelined her for nearly the entire year. Her first mostly healthy campaign came in 2024-25, where she averaged 21.5 points and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
During the 2025-26 season, Fudd posted career highs of 17.3 points per game and led the nation with 117 made three-pointers. She finished with a 92.5% career free throw percentage, ranking first in UConn history. She also holds the fifth-most career three-pointers made with 292 and ranks seventh in career three-point percentage at 42.2%.
Head coach Geno Auriemma addressed the team’s resilience during a press conference on Saturday. He noted that many players recover from injuries and return without issue, but Fudd faced repeated setbacks. Auriemma said he kept asking, 'Why her? Why her all the time?' before adding that he is really proud of her for overcoming those hurdles.
Fudd graduated with a bachelor’s degree in community in May 2024 and an MBA in May 2026. She earned First-Team All-American honors from the WBCA, AP, Wooden Award, and USBWA last season. The Dallas Wings selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft in April. She became the first rookie and first UConn graduate to win the All-Star 3-point contest before a knee injury shortened her rookie year.
Her parents, Tim and Katie Fudd, traveled to every UConn home and road game during her college career. They resided in a cottage in Coventry for five years before selling the home last spring. The family will watch the ceremony from a hotel off campus, marking a shift from their previous routine of attending games in person.
