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Azzi update

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hoopsnloops32 said:
The greenshirts are about concussion safety, she doesn't have a concussion so that's irrelevant.

And my point is that no one has has said they aren't letting her practice with team. That is the difference in language, its that she doesn't feel ready to practice yet - which is very different from waiting to be cleared to practice. From all of Geno's comments at least, it sounds like she may be medically cleared (i.e not waiting on a test or benchmark) but not yet personally ready to return either because of pain or confidence in the knee. Totally fine and I think they should 1000% wait for her to feel ready.
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You are making some assertions about Azzi here. Where did you get this info that she said she doesn't feel ready to practice?
 
browns said:
That's kind of disheartening that the injury against Georgetown was a new injury and not a re-injury..She's been out almost 6 weeks with this latest injury
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Yes, this injury now being called "new" makes me wonder if her right knee is going to be capable of coming back at all this season? I have to believe, based on Azzi's reported comment of being ready when I'm ready, her possible hesitancy has more to due with her BB future beyond this season and beyond her time at UConn for that matter.
 
Topsail said:
We have to remember that Paige came back for the last 2 games of the reg season and did not do much. The first game of BET paige had 16 pts then only 2 pts for the next 2 games of BET. It was until the 3 rd and 4 th game of the NCAA tourney that PAIGE was playing much better. It takes time to get comfortable and I wonder If there is enough time for AZzi to be helpful. We have to remember that we had a close call in the 2 nd game of the tourney to UCF. The way things are this year we could be zapped early.
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I think that Azzi could provide the spark this year that Paige did last year. Her timing may be a little later, but we could use her in both the BE Tourney and the NCAA Tourney,
 
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We don't need Azzi until the Round of 16 weekend. UConn should roll over whoever they play in the first 2 rounds. Let her heal until she is physically and mentally ready.
 
Knee brace, why not. Unlike many I fear that Azzi may never be a full-time player. I just think that if we look at the last 4 years and see how many games she has missed I worry that what we have seen is what her availability will be in the future. I pray that this is not the case however I will no longer hold my breath waiting for her return. I hope she is able to play on a regular basis for her sake, she is such a special person and player when able to play.
 
You have to believe that her caution and patience are influenced by her mom's injuries and how that impacted her career. IMO, if she isn't 100%, then she shouldn't risk coming back until she is 100%. Whatever the details are, the injury was obviously of a serious nature.
 
I interpret Azzi's comment as indicating that she needs to feel confident that she's ready in every aspect of her game.
That includes her knee and all of the other skills involved, her shot, stamina, handle, mobility, pain level etc...
Being on the court is packed with pressure & risks, and she wants to have all of her wits & talents in place in order to be most effective.
I think that she knows how to work on a lot of these aspects of her game independently so that when she steps onto the court to practice that she's back to where she needs to be, to be most productive and not to create any doubts about her readiness to contribute without any reservations.

Considering how she played in the NC game while sick, that must have left a scar that she doesn't want to repeat & which could create doubts about her abilities with her fans.
The aggressive mindset that she began the year with needs to be fully recovered for her to be ready and that includes the physical, the mind & the spirit.
Knowing that she's close is what matters to the team and her fans.
At least she delivered the message that being on the court means that she's totally ready for battle.
God bless her.
 
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LwrcasefaN said:
You have to believe that her caution and patience are influenced by her mom's injuries and how that impacted her career. IMO, if she isn't 100%, then she shouldn't risk coming back until she is 100%. Whatever the details are, the injury was obviously of a serious nature.
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THIS!! You hit the nail on the head!! This has been my thinking on this matter since last year when she suffered an injury and sat out for awhile. Her mom suffered some knee and ankle injuries. I am sure those conversations and visuals came up and may or may not be impacting Azzi. But I agree. If she isn't 100% physically and mentally ready, I don't think she should play.
 
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Im not concerned with what happened to her. I am happy that she is at a point where it appears shes almost ready to return in time for the post season. The post season is what Geno always shoots for to win. We are almost there and Azzi appears to be almost ready. Thats it.

For me I always Dream Big and shoot for the moon and if I miss I end up with the stars
 
CajunHusky said:
Maggie Vanoni
@maggie_vanoni
·
46m

Geno Auriemma says Azzi Fudd had a good workout earlier this week. He didn’t have specifics on her return timeline but he said she told him “I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”
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Should the coaching staff consider having Azzi wear a significant knee brace while she begins to workout and play
 
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Remember Azzi in the NC game.? ................ We are there again...... Wait until next season!!! She'll be ready then!!
 
#$%& or get off the pot. Thats frustration talking, but time is running out. The team that is playing now need Azzi, and if she has no idea when she will be ready, just shut down and don't come back until next year. The players need to know, the coaching staff needs to know, because some new kind of playing strategy has to occur or we will be out before the sweet 16. The current players are playing their hearts out, but let's face it, they are not playing very well at this point. Geno refuses to give breaks using his bench, and yes, they don't score, but maybe they are afraid to shoot. Ines in one of her last appearances had open 3 pt looks but did not shoot. If the current team can't score, give the other "non-scorers" a chance. Since Caroline came back, he has shortened the bench even more, only using 6 players instead of 7. If Azzi doesn't come back within the last couple of regular games, she won't be back, or at least, she may not be effective. The way it's going now, if these kids don't get some rest, the season is over. I don't know why he doesn't see that. It has to be Azzi, or the bench, because we will go nowhere by making these kids play all these minutes without breaks. I'm not happy about this post, but I am not happy with how this is playing out. Nika, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Dorka, and Lou are rock stars and should be appreciated for their hard work and attitude. Love those girls. Come on Geno, come on Azzi, figure something out, but do something.
 
Bald Huskie said:
#$%& or get off the pot. Thats frustration talking, but time is running out. The team that is playing now need Azzi, and if she has no idea when she will be ready, just shut down and don't come back until next year. The players need to know, the coaching staff needs to know, because some new kind of playing strategy has to occur or we will be out before the sweet 16. The current players are playing their hearts out, but let's face it, they are not playing very well at this point. Geno refuses to give breaks using his bench, and yes, they don't score, but maybe they are afraid to shoot. Ines in one of her last appearances had open 3 pt looks but did not shoot. If the current team can't score, give the other "non-scorers" a chance. Since Caroline came back, he has shortened the bench even more, only using 6 players instead of 7. If Azzi doesn't come back within the last couple of regular games, she won't be back, or at least, she may not be effective. The way it's going now, if these kids don't get some rest, the season is over. I don't know why he doesn't see that. It has to be Azzi, or the bench, because we will go nowhere by making these kids play all these minutes without breaks. I'm not happy about this post, but I am not happy with how this is playing out. Nika, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Dorka, and Lou are rock stars and should be appreciated for their hard work and attitude. Love those girls. Come on Geno, come on Azzi, figure something out, but do something.
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You misunderstand the fatigue problem completely. It’s not the minutes tiring them out. It’s the insane travel schedule paired with close and hard games due to our best players being injured.
 
Bald Huskie said:
#$%& or get off the pot. Thats frustration talking, but time is running out. The team that is playing now need Azzi, and if she has no idea when she will be ready, just shut down and don't come back until next year. The players need to know, the coaching staff needs to know, because some new kind of playing strategy has to occur or we will be out before the sweet 16. The current players are playing their hearts out, but let's face it, they are not playing very well at this point. Geno refuses to give breaks using his bench, and yes, they don't score, but maybe they are afraid to shoot. Ines in one of her last appearances had open 3 pt looks but did not shoot. If the current team can't score, give the other "non-scorers" a chance. Since Caroline came back, he has shortened the bench even more, only using 6 players instead of 7. If Azzi doesn't come back within the last couple of regular games, she won't be back, or at least, she may not be effective. The way it's going now, if these kids don't get some rest, the season is over. I don't know why he doesn't see that. It has to be Azzi, or the bench, because we will go nowhere by making these kids play all these minutes without breaks. I'm not happy about this post, but I am not happy with how this is playing out. Nika, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Dorka, and Lou are rock stars and should be appreciated for their hard work and attitude. Love those girls. Come on Geno, come on Azzi, figure something out, but do something.
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It’s just basketball, not life or death. Maybe it will be good for the team to get knock out of the tournament early, get an extended vacation and some rest before next season. The team will come back motivated, realizing that making the final four isn’t a given and requires a lot of hard work.
 
Bald Huskie said:
#$%& or get off the pot. Thats frustration talking, but time is running out. The team that is playing now need Azzi, and if she has no idea when she will be ready, just shut down and don't come back until next year. The players need to know, the coaching staff needs to know, because some new kind of playing strategy has to occur or we will be out before the sweet 16. The current players are playing their hearts out, but let's face it, they are not playing very well at this point. Geno refuses to give breaks using his bench, and yes, they don't score, but maybe they are afraid to shoot. Ines in one of her last appearances had open 3 pt looks but did not shoot. If the current team can't score, give the other "non-scorers" a chance. Since Caroline came back, he has shortened the bench even more, only using 6 players instead of 7. If Azzi doesn't come back within the last couple of regular games, she won't be back, or at least, she may not be effective. The way it's going now, if these kids don't get some rest, the season is over. I don't know why he doesn't see that. It has to be Azzi, or the bench, because we will go nowhere by making these kids play all these minutes without breaks. I'm not happy about this post, but I am not happy with how this is playing out. Nika, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Dorka, and Lou are rock stars and should be appreciated for their hard work and attitude. Love those girls. Come on Geno, come on Azzi, figure something out, but do something.
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As is normal, I tend to view things from the opposite end of the telescope. Not providing or not knowing a definitive return date for Azzi could force the opposing coaches to prepare for UConn as if she will play. That means diverting practice time during the Big East and NCAA tournaments to prepare for Azzi. Due to the limited practice time available during tournaments this may result in less proficient game plan and personnel performance.
 
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We all need to understand that we have no idea of whats going on. The coaches players and parents do. We dont know whats going on behind the scenes. So put simply We dont know that we dont know and what we dont know we speculate about. Now there are some people who have connections that know and may not and should not go public with it. That all we know
 
fomalhaut said:
If Fudd feels ready to play, she doesn't have to be 100% to make a difference. Eight more points would have won four out of Connecticut's five losses.
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Well, that's interesting thinking. However, you are assuming that each of those eight points would be replacing missed baskets and that's not realistic!
 
fomalhaut said:
If Fudd feels ready to play, she doesn't have to be 100% to make a difference. Eight more points would have won four out of Connecticut's five losses.
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Paige wasn't 100% when she returned last year either, but helped us get to the Championship Game and keep our Final Four Streak intact.
Having seen one amazing historical streak ended regarding back to back losses, I hope we don't lose another one for the Final four streak, but many things are stacked against us.

I think there are three keys to making the Final Four again. One is getting Azzi back, and at least at a pretty high level. Another has to do with Caroline. Yes she is back, but if it is this year's version of Caroline vs. lasts year's it may not make enough of a difference. Remember she was a pretty mediocre player before the concussion this year, apparently having more challenges recovering from the offseason hip surgery than we thought.

Now last year's Caroline would make a big difference on this team, but I don't know if we can expect that this year, but hopefully she will return as a star again next season.

The third component is Ayanna badly needs a statement game to lift Geno's confidence, and hers, enough that she is part of the big game rotation. If we get more perimeter scoring (Caroline & Azzi) I hope that Geno will be more comfortable using here at least on a limited basis. We can't beat really good teams with 6 players.

So what are the odds of all three of those things happening? Probably not very good, but hope springs eternal and I'm not giving up on Azzi being a factor this year, but the window is closing fast.
 
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