Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd Put Holiday Break Work in Together With Non-UConn Coach

UConn Huskies icons Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are still in the lab together over the holidays.

Grant Young

Dec 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team received an eight-day break from their most recent game against the USC Trojans (which they lost 72-70) on December 21 to their next contest on December 28, which is at home against Providence.

While it's unknown how many days Huskies coach Geno Auriemma allowed for his players to head home and spend time with their families, it's clear that UConn's players were permitted to leave campus for at least a few days.

This was shown by a video of Huskies stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd getting work in together at a high school in Potomac, Maryland, which was posted on Instagram by Darren McLinton.

McLinton (who is a skills coach and CEO of McLinton Basketball Academy) dropped an Instagram montage of Bueckers and Fudd hooping over the holidays with the caption, "Home for a quick Christmas break, gotta get it in!!! UCONN’s Dynamic Duo Paige Bueckers @paigebueckers and Azzi Fudd @azzi35 were super focused, and seem ready for the upcoming Big East part of their season! LET’S GOOO!!!"

The video shows the UConn guards honing their dribbling and outside shooting abilities.

McLinton appears to spend a lot of time working with Bueckers in the offseason, as he has posted multiple photos and videos of them getting work in together in the past.

This also serves as proof that Bueckers and Fudd spent Christmas Day together, which was initially conveyed by a photo of them wearing Holiday-themed sweaters surfaced on X by user @g1endale.

Perhaps this brief holiday reset will help propel UConn back to being favorites to win the 2025 NCAA National Championship.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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