DHJ Quick Take: The Rookie Blueprint
- The Courtney Williams Connection: Fudd shared that the most impactful advice she received during draft weekend came from WNBA veteran Courtney Williams. The message was simple but profound: “Do what got you drafted.” This hits differently for Fudd, given that Williams is a legend under Wings head coach Jose Fernandez, having set records in his system at South Florida.
- Finding a Mentor: Beyond on-court performance, Fudd is prioritizing the advice to “find a vet” to help navigate the professional landscape. In Arlington, she has no shortage of options, with established leaders like Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, and Arike Ogunbowale ready to provide guidance.
- Intentional Preparation: While the draft was an “information overload,” Fudd revealed she has been preparing for this “chaos” since the start of her final season at UConn. Her focus on diet, sleep, and a disciplined regimen was designed to ensure her body was ready for the WNBA calendar’s rapid turnaround.
- The Fernandez Factor: Fudd‘s excitement for Jose Fernandez‘s system stems from its “European-style” emphasis on movement and misdirection. As an elite shooter who averaged 17.3 points last season, she is perfectly positioned to thrive in a scheme that Williams once used to dominate the college game.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd arrived at WNBA rookie orientation as the No. 1 overall pick and, by her own description, walked into an information overload. However, one voice familiar to Wings coach Jose Fernandez cut through the rest.
On the latest episode of her podcast, Fudd Around and Find Out, Fudd shared some of the advice WNBA veteran Courtney Williams gave her during draft weekend. While Williams could help any young player, what makes her message land differently is that she spent four years at South Florida playing for Fernandez, the former longtime USF head coach, who is entering his first season as the Wings’ head coach.
“Her advice was kind of just, you know, do what got you drafted,” Fudd said on the podcast. “Don’t go to your team and start trying to do the most, trying to do something you’re not, be someone you’re not.”
Williams shared the importance of not losing confidence, while emphasizing making an impact in the strengths that appealed to the team that drafted you. For Fudd, she’s often been praised as an elite shooter coming off a season averaging a career-high 17.3 points while shooting 48.1% from the floor, 44.7% on 3-pointers, and 95.5% on free throws.
“If you got drafted because you’re a good shooter, because you’re a great passer, because you’re, like, do the things that got you drafted,” Fudd recalled. “Don’t do too much, but don’t lose your confidence and not do it.”
Williams knows what it takes to thrive playing for Fernandez. She left USF as the only player in program history to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 300 assists, earned 2016 WBCA First-Team All-America honors, and was inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
Fernandez has coached her, publicly praised her, and watched her build an All-Star WNBA career after playing in his system.
Finding a Dallas Wings Vet in Training Camp
The part of Williams’ advice that Fudd emphasized most was the structural one. Find a vet on the roster. Stay close. Watch.
“Find a vet,” Fudd said on the podcast. “Get to know your teammates, find a vet that you can learn from and watch. Because it’s going to be a lot coming at us. We’re going to be trying to learn a lot, figure out a lot, navigate a lot, whether it’s on the court, off the court. And so find a vet who kind of has it figured out and you can learn from them, and they can take you under their wing.”
Fudd will not lack for options. The Wings signed reigning WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith to a three-year maximum contract, added Jessica Shepard in free agency, brought back Awak Kuier, and re-signed All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale. Fudd also reunites with 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, her former UConn teammate and the face of the Wings’ rebuild.
Azzi Fudd’s Preparation Started a Long Time Ago
Ahead of her first WNBA training camp, Fudd said she had already begun preparing for that jump well before the draft.
“I think just being super intentional since the beginning of this past season, starting with my diet, my regimen, my sleep schedule, everything, trying to control what I can control because I knew this next year was going to be chaos,” Fudd said. “So just continuing to be disciplined in how I take care of myself and my body.”
She also credited the foundation laid at UConn under head coach Geno Auriemma.
“The level of expectations they hold you to, you don’t skip reps, you do everything with purpose and discipline,” Fudd said. “That prepares you for the next level and makes the transition easier.”
Wings training camp opens Sunday at College Park Center. Fudd walks in with Williams’ blueprint in hand and a head coach in Fernandez, who has already seen what that blueprint looks like when it works.
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