DHJ Quick Take: The UConn Connection in Dallas
- The Spacing Solution: The Wings finished 2025 ranked last (12th) in three-point percentage at 30.4%. By adding Azzi Fudd—a career 42.2% shooter from deep—Jose Fernandez has immediately fixed the roster’s most glaring “gravity” issue. Her presence on the wing is the key to unlocking the paint for Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale.
- Ending the Deference: Paige Bueckers is no longer “stepping on toes.” Her shift toward vocal “ownership” of the locker room is the most important development for a team looking to erase a 10-34 record. She is now the primary enforcer of the “no-BS” standards Fernandez is installing.
- The Fernandez Mandate: The head coach’s Day 1 message to Fudd—”She better shoot the damn ball if she’s open”—signals a high-velocity offensive shift. Fernandez is giving Fudd a green light that few rookies ever receive, emphasizing that her primary job in Arlington is to be a floor-spacing weapon.
- A Relationship Since Age 16: This isn’t just a college reunion; it’s a professional partnership six years in the making. Their pre-existing chemistry at UConn and on the USA Basketball circuit allows the Wings to bypass the typical “feeling out” period that most new backcourts face during a 20-day training camp.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are once again sharing a backcourt, and for both players, it’s the realization of a dream they’ve talked about for many years.
Before playing with each other at UConn and ultimately winning the national championship in 2025 and achieving two Final Four appearances, Bueckers and Fudd initially teamed up for the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team. They won a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship. They also won gold together at the 2018 FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Bueckers arrived at UConn in 2020, while Fudd followed in 2021. However, due to injuries, they ultimately played one full season together in 2024–25. They made it count by winning the national championship.
The Dallas Wings selected Fudd No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft, reuniting her with Bueckers.
A Dream Becomes a Reality
Bueckers, the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year and All-Star, said the reunion dates back to when she and Fudd were teenagers, imagining what the future would hold if they both realized their goal of reaching the highest level.
“We go back to when we were 16 playing together. We know each other’s games really well,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal. “This is something we’ve talked about since high school, playing together at this level. It’s a dream come true.”
Fudd, who spent five seasons at UConn and averaged 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists as a fifth-year senior in 2025-26, said having familiar faces around her has made the transition to the professional level significantly easier.
“I felt so welcome. There’s no better way than having familiar faces and new teammates there,” Fudd said. “Everyone has been welcoming with open arms. It definitely helps. I’m coming into a new environment, not knowing where I’m going, and having people around me supporting me, it’s an amazing feeling.”
How Paige Bueckers Sees Azzi Fudd Impacting Winning Basketball
Asked what Fudd brings to a winning team, Bueckers delivered a detailed scouting report that went well beyond shooting.
“She impacts the game in so many ways. Obviously, her shooting, but also her ability to slash, cut, her IQ, and defensively disrupt things,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal. “She’ll take on tough assignments, has great hands and length, and plays the right way. She’s a 40-plus percent three-point shooter, so her spacing alone helps us. She brings versatility and makes a big impact on both ends.”
The endorsement matches the résumé. Fudd shot 44.7% from three on 6.7 attempts per game in 2025-26 while leading the Big East in three-point percentage for the second consecutive season. She finished her UConn career at 42.2% from three on 6.0 attempts per game across 115 games, earning first team AP All-American honors as a senior.
The Wings ranked 12th in the WNBA in three-point percentage in 2025 at 30.4%, making Fudd’s shooting gravity one of the most direct roster upgrades Dallas made this offseason.
Where Paige Bueckers Is in Year 2
The Paige Bueckers who welcomed Fudd to Dallas is not the same player who navigated her rookie year in 2025. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 36 games en route to winning Rookie of the Year and earning her first WNBA All-Star selection, and she said her focus entering Year 2 is on both expanding her on-court game and growing as a leader.
“I want to get up more threes, get to the paint more, live at the rim more, and get to the free-throw line more,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Just getting out in transition and making plays. But my number one goal is to be the best teammate I can be, make everyone around me better, and contribute to winning basketball for the Dallas Wings.”
She also said her approach in the locker room has shifted significantly.
“As a rookie, I wanted to gain respect, gel with the team, and not step on toes. Now it’s about taking ownership of who I want to be and what we want this team to be,” Bueckers said. “Coach Jose has emphasized how we want to perform, how we show up, taking every possession and practice seriously, and growing together. Being able to set that tone and be confident in it, I’ve grown a lot in that.”
Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said his expectations for her align with the direction Bueckers has set for herself.
“Continue to be great in leadership. I like the way she creates for others. We know about her mid-range, but she’s going to have to stretch the floor more, take more transition threes and half-court threes,” Fernandez told Dallas Hoops Journal. “That’s something we’ve talked about.”
Azzi Fudd’s WNBA Adjustment
For Fudd, Day 1 was her first look at a WNBA system, with everything from plays to terminology new after five years in the same place.
“Everything is different. I’ve been in the same place for five years, so I got a little comfortable,” Fudd said. “Here, I’m learning new plays, new concepts, new terminology, and learning how to play with everyone, except for one person I’ve actually played with before. So learning their tendencies and what they like, it’s going to be fun.”
She also offered her early impressions of Fernandez.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. I knew him a little in college from playing against him and meeting him then,” Fudd said. “Then from dinner, from phone calls, and now the first day of training camp, I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
Fudd said her vantage point watching Bueckers navigate her rookie season gave her a head start on understanding the adjustments awaiting her at the professional level.
“The W is a different game than college. Seeing her, she had the ball in her hands a lot more, a lot of pick-and-rolls. The physicality and the pace, those are all adjustments,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal.
She also spoke about the mindset Bueckers modeled during a difficult rookie campaign that included plenty of losing.
“That’s something special about Paige, her mindset is phenomenal. She always sees things as a challenge and an opportunity to grow,” Fudd said. “She’s not used to losing, but she took those moments and continued to grow, be a great leader, and make everyone around her better. That’s something I can adopt for myself.”
Fudd said she plans to bring the same mindset to her rookie year, focusing on growth throughout the season to make the greatest impact.
“Just working on getting better and continuing to grow,” Fudd said. “It’s a long season. Even in college, how you start the season doesn’t really matter, it’s how you finish. As long as we’re getting better as individuals and as a team, that’s a win.”
Jose Fernandez on the Dallas Wings’ Outlook
Fernandez said the Fudd pick was part of a broader offseason plan that also included retaining the core and adding veteran pieces around it. Dallas re-signed franchise scoring leader Arike Ogunbowale to a multi-year deal, signed reigning WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith to a three-year maximum contract, brought back forward Awak Kuier after three seasons in Europe, and added Jessica Shepard, who led the WNBA in field goal percentage in 2025, on a multi-year deal. Center Li Yueru and guard Grace Berger accepted qualifying offers as restricted free agents. Selecting Fudd No. 1 overall capped the Wings’ top-to-bottom roster overhaul.
“I thought we did a really, really good job in free agency. We added pieces that were needed in roster construction,” Fernandez said.
There is already a sense of how valuable Fudd will be to this Wings team. However, going into the season, the key for Fernandez is getting the absolute most out of her game.
His Day 1 message to Fudd was direct: shoot the ball when she’s open. Fudd shot 44.7% from three on 6.7 attempts per game in 2025-26 while leading the Big East in three-point percentage for the second consecutive season, and her career mark at UConn stands at 42.2% from three on 6.0 attempts per game across 115 games.
“I had to yell at her and tell her, ‘Don’t pass up open shots,'” Fernandez told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Especially in some of the actions we’re going to run for her, she better shoot the damn ball if she’s open. That’s what she does. She can’t pass up open shots. There are situations where the floor isn’t balanced or rebounding opportunities aren’t there, and we’ll talk about those, but she needs to do what she was brought here to do and space the floor.”
Fudd said the feedback wasn’t new, but she views it as a simple fix.
“That seems to be a common trend,” Fudd said. “I share the love, but remembering to shoot when I’m open, my teammates remind me of that. It’ll be an easy adjustment.”
She framed aggression as a benefit to her teammates, not just to her own scoring. If she is getting those shots up and knocking them down, the defense has to overcorrect to respect her, giving the offense more space for her teammates to get to their spots.
“As long as I’m being aggressive, that helps the team,” Fudd said. “When I change my mindset and remember that being aggressive helps the team, it makes a difference. If I’m passing up open shots, the defense can play off me. But if I’m a threat, they have to guard me and respect me, and it opens things up for other people.”
The first chance for Bueckers and Fudd to compete against outside competition alongside each other will be on April 30 when the Wings face the Indiana Fever on the road in their preseason opener.
More Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers & Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
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