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SPOKANE, Wash. -- Caroline Ducharme has known Azzi Fudd since they were in middle school, and up until a few weeks ago she was anxiously awaiting her friend's decision on whether she'd stay at UConn or enter the WNBA Draft.
"We were in the tubs doing recovery. She kind of made a little comment," Ducharme told CBS Sports. "I knew she had to make a decision before the tournament started. I think it was like the day before or first game or a couple days before.
"I was like, 'Did you make a decision?' And she was like, 'Yeah, don't tell anyone, but I'm staying.' I was happy. I was just happy she made a decision and she could go in fresh. I knew that was lingering over her."
Fudd admitted it was definitely a relief to finally get it out of the way.
"In making that decision, I definitely feel like I have a weight off my shoulder and now I can enjoy the rest of the season," Fudd said.
Fudd had a combined 44 points and eight steals in the first two games of the Women's NCAA Tournament, reflecting how locked in she is during the most important part of the season. These stats should not be taken lightly because Fudd had not played in an March Madness game in two years because of injuries.
Paige Bueckers has been the face of the program since her historic freshman season when she won all four major national player of the year awards. This season she is still leading the team in points, assists and steals while doing other things that don't show up on the stat sheet.
However, the roster definitely got stronger when Fudd returned and even more dangerous when she found her rhythm. It took a full team effort to get UConn's statement win against South Carolina in February, and Fudd was the key spark with 28 points, including six 3-pointers.
"She's a great, humble person off the court, and on the court she's relentless going after it," KK Arnold said. "Just attacking you at any level. Honestly, her defensive ability as well. Just a leader out there. She leads by example. Once she gets going, once anybody really gets going, we just feed off their energy."
Fudd is also just a fun person to be around.
"She has so many quirks," Ducharme said. "She gives off that she is so serious but off the court she is not like that. She talks about this all the time, she has her pre-game poop that she takes. She's very open about that. I think a lot of people wouldn't be."
The team will be just fine when she takes over the leadership role because, after all, UConn has become a basketball powerhouse because of its next-woman-up mentality. However, that won't make Bueckers' departure any easier
"It's kind of hard to put into words how much of an impact she's had here on and off the court," Ducharme said. "I've never been here without her. Every part of my UConn experience has been with her, so she's been there for everyone. She's been through her fair share of highs and lows, and I think that's something that really goes unnoticed about her. We will definitely miss her presence on the court, but I think we'll miss her off the court even more."
