Azzi Fudd for player of the year? She’s making a strong case for herself

[eebmg]

Article in the Athletic.

How Azzi Fudd worked her way into player of the year contention

UConn propels past Iowa behind another stellar Fudd performance.

theathletic.com

I know it is Boston's to lose and I think she solidified her position with the last second jump shot that sent the game to OT over Stanford but I think we have to put her above Caitlin who is showing some issues in tough games and Azzi just has the wow gene and with Boston having some foot issue?

If Azzi balls out in the ND game and the SC game, I think it is very possible



'Fudd can do more. Her coach desperately wants her to do more. Her coach is basically exasperated that she doesn’t do more'.

“Sometimes I feel like I should record it, and instead of going in at halftime, send one of the managers in with my recording: ‘Here, play this,’” Auriemma said. “It’s like a little bit of a conundrum here. ‘Azzi, I want you to shoot the ball every time.’ ‘I don’t know, I’m not feeling good right now, it’s not going in.’ And I’m thinking to myself, that’s what bad players do. That’s how they think. She’s just too nice. Too concerned about the team and everybody. I said, don’t worry about that. Let me worry about that. Your job is to shoot the ball. She’s got it in her to get as many as she wants every night. Just need a little more. Prod her a little more. Then she blows up.”

 

[pvdoggy]

I don't think Geno really means ‘Azzi, I want you to shoot the ball every time.’ I like Azzi the way she is. She gets plenty of touch in the flow of the game. Sure sometimes you wish she is a little more unselfish and not pass up shots she could take but that does not happen that often during a game. I don't want to see Azzi becomes like Caitlin Clark jacking up difficult lower percentage shots. When Azzi shoots the balls you feel like it is going in because she always takes good shots even if they don't go in all the time.

 

[pvdoggy]

Article in the Athletic.

How Azzi Fudd worked her way into player of the year contention

UConn propels past Iowa behind another stellar Fudd performance.

theathletic.com

I know it is Boston's to lose and I think she solidified her position with the last second jump shot that sent the game to OT over Stanford but I think we have to put her above Caitlin who is showing some issues in tough games and Azzi just has the wow gene and with Boston having some foot issue?

I don't know why that's should be the case. Although she could be more dominant, her stat does not show it so far. Heck, Aaliyah has better stat than Boston and Uconn has played a tougher schedule.

 

[Bone Dog]

I agree about Azzi v Caitlin. The NPOY is more like a baseball MVP than a Triple Crown. It tends to go to the person who makes her team win, not the one who has the best primary stats. Caitlin had better numbers than Paige two seasons ago, but the voters wanted Paige because she made her team great that season, and she did it by making everyone around her better. She carried the team when she had to, but she made us win every time.

Yesterday, they both struggled at moments and Caitlin ended up with slightly better stats. But Azzi clearly willed her team to the win. Another way to put it: Azzi struggled in the first half, but when we absolutely needed her in the second half, she poured in buckets. By contrast, Caitlin faded in the second half and as a result we won.

Boston deserved to win it last season because this is exactly who she was to SC. They were a team of great parts last season, but without Boston they might not have come together. Her personality shaped their season just as Paige’s had. I imagine she’s capable of having a similar season again, and if she does she’ll deserve to win again.

Ironically, if things had gone a little differently in the NC game and Paige had manufactured a win — I don’t put it past her — Boston would still have deserved NPOY, and the vote came earlier in any event. But in such a case, Paige would have demonstrated her case for it even in an injury shortened season. That’s what great players are like: you just can’t keep them down.

 

[eebmg]

I don't think Geno really means ‘Azzi, I want you to shoot the ball every time.’ I like Azzi the way she is. She gets plenty of touch in the flow of the game. Sure sometimes you wish she is a little more unselfish and not pass up shots she could take but that does not happen that often during a game. I don't want to see Azzi becomes like Caitlin Clark jacking up difficult lower percentage shots. When Azzi shoots the balls you feel like it is going in because she always takes good shots even if they don't go in all the time.

Just Geno hyperbole for emphasis. I am pretty sure Geno want's her to lead in shots every game. He is just trying to get her to think more like Maya and Diana. And I think this idea is strengthened more than in the beginning of the season since Nika has shown she can handle the vast majority of the playmaking .

 

[pvdoggy]

I agree about Azzi v Caitlin. The NPOY is more like a baseball MVP than a Triple Crown. It tends to go to the person who makes her team win, not the one who has the best primary stats. Caitlin had better numbers than Paige two seasons ago, but the voters wanted Paige because she made her team great that season, and she did it by making everyone around her better. She carried the team when she had to, but she made us win every time.

It has not always been that way in the last few years with Kelsey Plum (2017), Megan Gustafson (2019), and Sabrina (2020) but I get your point.

 

[Argonaut]

Just a PSA from your friendly neighborhood librarian -- since the Athletic is now a subsidiary of the NYT, they are offering a really good price for us to add the Athletic to our existing subscription. If you use your local library for your NYT access, it would probably be worth your time to encourage them to add the Athletic.

 

[DefenseBB]

Ok, I have crunched some stats to give out factual data instead of the many "theory views" on the disparate Azzi vs. Caitlin views, most of which on this board do not take kindly to any acknowledgement of another player actually playing well as if it is a criticism of any UConn player-IT IS NOT.

Fudd vs. Clark (Fudd's numbers first, then Clark's)
#1. Both attempt the same number of Field Goals per game 18..8 vs. 18.9 (even this stat surprised me!)
#2. Both attempt the same number of 3 pt shots per game 8.4 vs. 8.3
#3. Azzi is 29.4% of all UConn scoring and Caitlin is at 31.1%
#4. Azzi as secondary PG only has 15 Assists (3 pg) yet 10 (2 pg) Turnovers, Caitlin has 48 assists (6.9) and 18 (2.6) Turnovers
#5 Azzi has 9 Total Rebounds (1.8 pg) while Caitlin has 48 (6.9)
#6 Azzi is more efficient as she has higher shooting percentages overall in in 3 pt shooting. On the season Azzi is at .532 and .405 while Clark is at .455 and .310 Now yesterday's game dropped Clark's number by a fair amount as Nika did a very good job on her. Prior to yesterday's game, Caitlin was at .472 and .340.
#7. Yesterday's game was at best in favor of Azzi on the stats and at worst even. Azzi was 10/19 .526 vs. Clark 9/24 .375; in 3pt 4/10 vs. 2/11; Azzi had 3 Rebound to 7 for CC; 4 Assists to 6; Zero turnovers to 3 and Zero Steals to 2 for Ms. Clark. Both played 40 minutes and Azzi was .279 of our scoring while Caitlin was .316 of theirs (both at their season average).

In short, UConn was/is the more talented team in terms of better balance scoring and team defense. For MVP, due to Caitlin's Assists and Rebounds which offset her lower FG percentage and lower 3 pt percentage, I think Caitlin is slightly higher than Azzi on the POY. Both, at this point should be consensus All-Americans on both the 5 team member AP squad and on the 10 member WBCA squad.

 

[Bone Dog]

I appreciate your point of view. I don't think I was criticizing Caitlin or putting her down -- she is unquestionably a great player, as I've always said. My point was merely that stats -- especially primary stats -- don't tell the whole story, and NPOY voting often (not always) reflects this. In my mind, Paige was (and probably will be again next season) unquestionably the better player. In the past, I've expressed this by saying that Paige doesn't beat other teams with her ball handling or passing or scoring, but with her team, which she wields as if it were a weapon. And this was a team with 5 freshmen and no seniors, and started 3 freshmen until Nika's injury. Caitlin has a very good team, perhaps not as good as Paige's was that year, but still very good, and Caitlin made them much better. The fact is, in that season UConn was as good as they were largely because Paige made them better. Without her, I don't think they could have made it past the sweet sixteen, much less to the final four.

Now, turn to Azzi, who has a skill set quite similar to both Paige and Caitlin. She's not quite as good in the point guard things they excel in, but she's every bit the clutch scorer they are, maybe even better. Which means whatever UConn achieves this year, it will largely rest on Azzi's shoulders, but not entirely. Whereas for Iowa, Caitlin will deserve the credit for their success much more decidedly. Without her, I don't think Iowa could recover, while UConn could recover from the loss of Azzi -- heck, we're proving it right now with the loss of Paige, again. So, when comparing Azzi and Caitlin, the latter may seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of the team she's carrying. But I don't think that will matter, since the NPOY is not just a stats contest -- the voters try to take the bigger picture into consideration. And differences in teams doesn't preclude any of us from making judgments in any event.

 

[Longtime fan]

Article in the Athletic.

How Azzi Fudd worked her way into player of the year contention

UConn propels past Iowa behind another stellar Fudd performance.

theathletic.com

I know it is Boston's to lose and I think she solidified her position with the last second jump shot that sent the game to OT over Stanford but I think we have to put her above Caitlin who is showing some issues in tough games and Azzi just has the wow gene and with Boston having some foot issue?

If Azzi balls out in the ND game and the SC game, I think it is very possible



'Fudd can do more. Her coach desperately wants her to do more. Her coach is basically exasperated that she doesn’t do more'.

“Sometimes I feel like I should record it, and instead of going in at halftime, send one of the managers in with my recording: ‘Here, play this,’” Auriemma said. “It’s like a little bit of a conundrum here. ‘Azzi, I want you to shoot the ball every time.’ ‘I don’t know, I’m not feeling good right now, it’s not going in.’ And I’m thinking to myself, that’s what bad players do. That’s how they think. She’s just too nice. Too concerned about the team and everybody. I said, don’t worry about that. Let me worry about that. Your job is to shoot the ball. She’s got it in her to get as many as she wants every night. Just need a little more. Prod her a little more. Then she blows up.”

Azzi seems to need to be challenged to shift into gear. Yesterday, she was 0-6? before hitting a pull up jumper? UCONN was in a deep hole and the crowd was pro Iowa. At that point, Azzi must have said to herself, " okay, enough of this." And she took over. We have now seen that more than once.

 

[Kat]

After Sunday's game, I'm convinced that Caitlin Clark is the best player in women's college basketball. But let's play all the games and see how this pans out.

 

[darkstar1]

Ok, I have crunched some stats to give out factual data instead of the many "theory views" on the disparate Azzi vs. Caitlin views, most of which on this board do not take kindly to any acknowledgement of another player actually playing well as if it is a criticism of any UConn player-IT IS NOT.

Fudd vs. Clark (Fudd's numbers first, then Clark's)
#1. Both attempt the same number of Field Goals per game 18..8 vs. 18.9 (even this stat surprised me!)
#2. Both attempt the same number of 3 pt shots per game 8.4 vs. 8.3
#3. Azzi is 29.4% of all UConn scoring and Caitlin is at 31.1%
#4. Azzi as secondary PG only has 15 Assists (3 pg) yet 10 (2 pg) Turnovers, Caitlin has 48 assists (6.9) and 18 (2.6) Turnovers
#5 Azzi has 9 Total Rebounds (1.8 pg) while Caitlin has 48 (6.9)
#6 Azzi is more efficient as she has higher shooting percentages overall in in 3 pt shooting. On the season Azzi is at .532 and .405 while Clark is at .455 and .310 Now yesterday's game dropped Clark's number by a fair amount as Nika did a very good job on her. Prior to yesterday's game, Caitlin was at .472 and .340.
#7. Yesterday's game was at best in favor of Azzi on the stats and at worst even. Azzi was 10/19 .526 vs. Clark 9/24 .375; in 3pt 4/10 vs. 2/11; Azzi had 3 Rebound to 7 for CC; 4 Assists to 6; Zero turnovers to 3 and Zero Steals to 2 for Ms. Clark. Both played 40 minutes and Azzi was .279 of our scoring while Caitlin was .316 of theirs (both at their season average).

In short, UConn was/is the more talented team in terms of better balance scoring and team defense. For MVP, due to Caitlin's Assists and Rebounds which offset her lower FG percentage and lower 3 pt percentage, I think Caitlin is slightly higher than Azzi on the POY. Both, at this point should be consensus All-Americans on both the 5 team member AP squad and on the 10 member WBCA squad.

Just shows you how overrated stats are in determining an mvp. Agree UConn has better players. But think of it this way, what if Clark played with better players? What if she were on UConn with the present team. She would be just as good a player, if not an even better team player, if she is capable of not always being the center of attention, but I would wager her stats would be considerably diminished. Can’t speak to what I have seen, but based on what I have, I can’t imagine Clarke replacing Azzi or Paige as most valuable player on UConn, much less National mvp.

 

[Carnac]

Article in the Athletic.

How Azzi Fudd worked her way into player of the year contention

UConn propels past Iowa behind another stellar Fudd performance.

theathletic.com

I know it is Boston's to lose and I think she solidified her position with the last second jump shot that sent the game to OT over Stanford but I think we have to put her above Caitlin who is showing some issues in tough games and Azzi just has the wow gene and with Boston having some foot issue?

If Azzi balls out in the ND game and the SC game, I think it is very possible



'Fudd can do more. Her coach desperately wants her to do more. Her coach is basically exasperated that she doesn’t do more'.

“Sometimes I feel like I should record it, and instead of going in at halftime, send one of the managers in with my recording: ‘Here, play this,’” Auriemma said. “It’s like a little bit of a conundrum here. ‘Azzi, I want you to shoot the ball every time.’ ‘I don’t know, I’m not feeling good right now, it’s not going in.’ And I’m thinking to myself, that’s what bad players do. That’s how they think. She’s just too nice. Too concerned about the team and everybody. I said, don’t worry about that. Let me worry about that. Your job is to shoot the ball. She’s got it in her to get as many as she wants every night. Just need a little more. Prod her a little more. Then she blows up.”

It’s not my nature or desire to pee in someone’s Kool-Aid, but with only 5 games into the season, it’s my opinion that it’s way too early to even start thinking about anyone being named player of the year. There’s 90% of the season left. There’s a lot of games left to play, any thing can happen. I would rather wait until there are 5 games left to go before we begin to seriously contemplate candidates for POY.

That’s like leaving the house dressed in your rain boots, slicker and rain hat under an open umbrella for a rain storm that’s not forecast to arrive for 2 weeks. Take care of that which is front of you. Our next opponent is Providence. Thinking about anything else is a distraction.

If Azzi’s play all year demands she be considered for POY, she will. That said, if you want to crowd someone now, go right ahead. No one will fault you. Don’t mind me if I wait until the end of the season.

 

[oldude]

You always have to consider the voters when it comes to POY awards. Two years ago, Paige essentially won the POY with a spectacular nationally televised, OT game vs #1 SC, highlighted by “The Bounce.” From that point on, the POY was Paige’s to lose. I don’t think we’ve seen that moment yet this season, although Azzi’s effort in the 2nd half vs Iowa came close.

 

[The deacon]

Just shows you how overrated stats are in determining an mvp. Agree UConn has better players. But think of it this way, what if Clark played with better players? What if she were on UConn with the present team. She would be just as good a player, if not an even better team player, if she is capable of not always being the center of attention, but I would wager her stats would be considerably diminished. Can’t speak to what I have seen, but based on what I have, I can’t imagine Clarke replacing Azzi or Paige as most valuable player on UConn, much less National mvp.

You've offered one of the unprovable yet enticing scenarios, darkstar, so I'll throw in my thoughts (in spite of Carnac's just-posted gentle urging to the contrary):

As I mentioned in another thread, Caitlin was the point guard and MVP of the 2020 U-19 international tournament, playing alongside (a younger but already highly touted) Azzi, plus Diamond Johnson, Sonia Citron, Lauren Betts, Amari and other top players her age. I don't recall exactly, but I think she averaged about 13 points and lots of assists, and, during the games I watched, she absolutely loved finding teammates with her wonderful passing skills.

To the point, if she were now the point guard for UConn, she'd get plenty of points, but I'd think it would be along the lines of Paige as a freshman, maybe 18-20 per game (and wouldn't be throwing up those Hail Mary threes she does now), and she'd be piling up the assists as Nika is now, plus rebounding up a storm. And she'd be doing it all with a smile that she doesn't need to carry her team as she has to at Iowa. If you watch her play for the Hawkeyes, it's clear her favorite moments are when she helps her teammates 'eat.'

Also as I've mentioned before, I'll enjoy watching Azzi, Nika, Caitlin and hopefully Paige all play out their college years, and then look forward to seeing whomever of them one day will represent the USA in the Olympics!

 

[The deacon]

I just noticed one of Azzi's teammates was named Big East Player of the Week. It could well be, if she continues to play the all-around game to which we're becoming accustomed, that Aaliyah might be due consideration as NPOY come late season.

 

[eebmg]

You always have to consider the voters when it comes to POY awards. Two years ago, Paige essentially won the POY with a spectacular nationally televised, OT game vs #1 SC, highlighted by “The Bounce.” From that point on, the POY was Paige’s to lose. I don’t think we’ve seen that moment yet this season, although Azzi’s effort in the 2nd half vs Iowa came close.

Dont forget she was responsibe for 24 of 27 points against TX in 11+ minutes.

She captures the imagination the same way Paige did and the same elegance to her game captures voters too I think

And Paige was destined before the SC game. The last second shot that finished off TN while she had a bad ankle started that train.

 

[EricLA]

It’s not my nature or desire to pee in someone’s Kool-Aid, but with only 5 games into the season, it’s my opinion that it’s way too early to even start thinking about anyone being named player of the year. There’s 90% of the season left. There’s a lot of games left to play, any thing can happen. I would rather wait until there are 5 games left to go before we begin to seriously contemplate candidates for POY.

That’s like leaving the house dressed in your rain boots, slicker and rain hat under an open umbrella for a rain storm that’s not forecast to arrive for 2 weeks. Take care of that which is front of you. Our next opponent is Providence. Thinking about anything else is a distraction.

If Azzi’s play all year demands she be considered for POY, she will. That said, if you want to crowd someone now, go right ahead. No one will fault you. Don’t mind me if I wait until the end of the season.

You make some excellent points however... Reputation, publicity, osmosis, aura, etc. all play a big part in it. Last year Boston was anointed NPOY even before the season started. While she had an excellent season, 16.8 PPT and 12.5 RPG, while excellent, certainly were surpassed by many other players.

BUT IMHO in large part because she was hyped all season long, she was a shoe-in for that award. Last yeary Clark averaged 27 PPG, 8 APG, AND 8 RPG which is insane for a guard. But the hype machine was in full force for Boston so she won the award. My vote would have been for Clark. Maybe there was a lot of "best player on the best team" thing, but this season is different - Boston isn't even 3rd team AA thus far statistically.

Point is, a lot of the voters I don't believe actually watch all the games, never mind most of they. They are a bit like lemmings in that "who has the most hype? Vote for her.". So again IMHO, giving Azzi all the national attention and hype and publicity is good for her year end prospects.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I don't know why that's should be the case. Although she could be more dominant, her stat does not show it so far. Heck, Aaliyah has better stat than Boston and Uconn has played a tougher schedule.

Yea I agree. Aaliyah I think has to do more this season to win NPOY than she has shown thus far. Her stats are down across the board and she didn't look particularly impressive in the Stanford game to me. She is certainly capable of more, no question, but she will have to show it and do it to earn a back to back NPOY. Said another way, if the award were given tomorrow, I don't think Boston has done enough to earn it.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Ok, I have crunched some stats to give out factual data instead of the many "theory views" on the disparate Azzi vs. Caitlin views, most of which on this board do not take kindly to any acknowledgement of another player actually playing well as if it is a criticism of any UConn player-IT IS NOT.

Fudd vs. Clark (Fudd's numbers first, then Clark's)
#1. Both attempt the same number of Field Goals per game 18..8 vs. 18.9 (even this stat surprised me!)
#2. Both attempt the same number of 3 pt shots per game 8.4 vs. 8.3
#3. Azzi is 29.4% of all UConn scoring and Caitlin is at 31.1%
#4. Azzi as secondary PG only has 15 Assists (3 pg) yet 10 (2 pg) Turnovers, Caitlin has 48 assists (6.9) and 18 (2.6) Turnovers
#5 Azzi has 9 Total Rebounds (1.8 pg) while Caitlin has 48 (6.9)
#6 Azzi is more efficient as she has higher shooting percentages overall in in 3 pt shooting. On the season Azzi is at .532 and .405 while Clark is at .455 and .310 Now yesterday's game dropped Clark's number by a fair amount as Nika did a very good job on her. Prior to yesterday's game, Caitlin was at .472 and .340.
#7. Yesterday's game was at best in favor of Azzi on the stats and at worst even. Azzi was 10/19 .526 vs. Clark 9/24 .375; in 3pt 4/10 vs. 2/11; Azzi had 3 Rebound to 7 for CC; 4 Assists to 6; Zero turnovers to 3 and Zero Steals to 2 for Ms. Clark. Both played 40 minutes and Azzi was .279 of our scoring while Caitlin was .316 of theirs (both at their season average).

In short, UConn was/is the more talented team in terms of better balance scoring and team defense. For MVP, due to Caitlin's Assists and Rebounds which offset her lower FG percentage and lower 3 pt percentage, I think Caitlin is slightly higher than Azzi on the POY. Both, at this point should be consensus All-Americans on both the 5 team member AP squad and on the 10 member WBCA squad.

You didn't factor is difficulty of schedule though which is going to have a big impact on stats.

 

[Skeets]

I really wish Azzi would hunt for her shot starting with the opening tip. When she really needs to, i.e., the second half of the Iowa game, she's great. That doesn't mean she has to take every shot, but geez, she's too good not to look for taking every shot. To a lesser extent, Paige had this problem too. Geno has told both something similar. Azzi should not let the game flow around her. She should be the game.

 

[Cuango]

Azzi seems to need to be challenged to shift into gear. Yesterday, she was 0-6? before hitting a pull up jumper? UCONN was in a deep hole and the crowd was pro Iowa. At that point, Azzi must have said to herself, " okay, enough of this." And she took over. We have now seen that more than once.

Obviously, it’s great that she has been able to flip the switch but one of these days the switch may not flip. Hopefully, she can grow out of whatever is causing these slow starts and not have to rely on having to make a big comeback!

 

[MilfordHusky]

You make some excellent points however... Reputation, publicity, osmosis, aura, etc. all play a big part in it. Last year Boston was anointed NPOY even before the season started. While she had an excellent season, 16.8 PPT and 12.5 RPG, while excellent, certainly were surpassed by many other players.

BUT IMHO in large part because she was hyped all season long, she was a shoe-in for that award. Last yeary Clark averaged 27 PPG, 8 APG, AND 8 RPG which is insane for a guard. But the hype machine was in full force for Boston so she won the award. My vote would have been for Clark. Maybe there was a lot of "best player on the best team" thing, but this season is different - Boston isn't even 3rd team AA thus far statistically.

Point is, a lot of the voters I don't believe actually watch all the games, never mind most of they. They are a bit like lemmings in that "who has the most hype? Vote for her.". So again IMHO, giving Azzi all the national attention and hype and publicity is good for her year end prospects.

Actually, I don't think Boston was anointed the NPOY in the pre-season last year. She filled the void after Paige's injury. I think Buckets was the favorite until early December. Boston was considered the NPOY favorite this year, along with Clark, because Paige's injury occurred well before the pre-season polls.

Last season, Paige was hurt and mostly missing. Azzi was hurt and not ready. Boston was the best of the remaining players.