Senior Day - info on Azzi and others | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Senior Day - info on Azzi and others

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bballnut90 said:
I’ve seen mocks with her as high as #3. I’d be surprised if she dropped below #6 with how many picks the Mystics have. Taking a chance on Fudd seems like a worthwhile risk to build their future, especially since they’re in rebuild mode right now.

Even with a monster year next season, I don’t think Fudd would likely climb into the top 3 ahead of Betts/Flaujae/Latson due to injury history. Another injury could plummet her stock though. From an outsider’s view, I think the best choice for Fudd is to declare if she’s trying to maximize her chance of sticking in the league.
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Mock drafts have her all over the first round. Some recent ones have her at the bottom. I saw one or two that didn’t have her in the first round at all. Not saying which are more reliable or not, just that there is a wide range of outcomes from what is being predicted,

I don’t think her “sticking” in the league has anything to do with her declaring this year or next. She’ll stick in the league because of her abilities and potential regardless of which draft she enters or which pick she is taken with.

She has a lot to consider including her past injury history, is she just ready to move on from “college life”, money (rookie dollars will likely go up quite a bit for those entering draft in 2026 v this year), and what she may or may not feel she has left to prove or wishes to prove at UConn.

Whatever her decision we can all agree we want nothing but the best for her and know she will be successfu.
 
ESPN article is up on Azzi still deciding between staying or going
IMG_0722.jpeg
 
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I think Azzi should come back next year to work on areas (e.g. leadership, play point guard, better decision making, etc.) other than shooting. With Paige and Chen are leaving, we will need a real point guard next year. KK is a good ball handler, but she is not a natural point guard. For that reason, Azzi should come back to improve her overall game and to help KK out.
 
Centerstream said:
I believe it was during the Creighton game, not 100% positive, that the very knowledgeable announcers said that Azzi is considered the #3 pick in this year's draft.
I'm not either arguing for or against this, just passing it along.
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Correction: it was during the SoCar game that Ryan Ruocco said it about Azzi.

Anyone wanna guess what I am doing this evening?????
 
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HuskieDawg said:
She has a lot to consider including her past injury history, is she just ready to move on from “college life”, money (rookie dollars will likely go up quite a bit for those entering draft in 2026 v this year), and what she may or may not feel she has left to prove or wishes to prove at UConn.
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Money issue in WNBA less than people realize.

Current rookie salary is $80,000.

If it goes up 3x new 2026 rookie salary could be $240,000.

That's nice, but it will still be a lot less than Azzi's earnings from sponsors in the WNBA. (Chipotle, Nerf, Biosteel, American Eagle etc...)

The big sponsor of course is Under Armour & their Curry Brand, where she is in line for a shoe. Conservatively, she will earn $2 million+ from her sponsors in her WNBA season 1!

Similarly Nika earned $80,000 in player salary for the Storm. Just her work for Mazda would pay $250,000 to $1million, depending if Mazda is using that film also in Croatia/Europe.

Therefore, the solution on how to improve earnings in today's world is to have your agent go find another sponsor, rather than waiting for the still small player salary to increase.:confused:

Someone will probably ask the question: 'why would a sponsor sign Azzi, Paige, or Nika before they are established WNBA players?'

3 reasons: 1- cheaper to sign them now than wait for them to get more expensive, 2- due UConn/NCAA/high school/social media, these three are already household names. 3- potential. Particularly, Azzi&Paige are viewed by the sports marketing industry to be faces of WBB for next 10-15 years. Despite injuries and inconsistency, experts are comfortable that Azzi will deliver at WNBA level and are willing to pay up front for it.

Azzi's choice of pro/college will be mostly about basketball and less about money. She is pretty much in a no lose situation...as long as she stays fit.
 
UConn really needs Azzi’s offense next year. We have a three headed dragon right now in Paige, Azzi and Sarah. It would be great to see her back and start with Sarah and Ashlynn.
 
Quick question.
At what venue last year did Paige announce she was coming back
I guess I am hoping that Azzi does the same thing.
 
JBK said:
Quick question.
At what venue last year did Paige announce she was coming back
I guess I am hoping that Azzi does the same thing.
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Per the article earlier in this thread, Azzi has stated she is staying present in the moment. Team still has the game today, and conference tourney next weekend. It's easy to get caught up in moments such as senior day, however I'd guess that Paige had already made up her mind and decided to announce.

Geno stated that he likes to have a firm answer from players on their status for next season ideally after the conference tournament, before the portal opens, which is March 25, however even if Azzi makes her decision by then, and informs the coaches, there's a good chance that nothing will be announced until after UConn's season is done, preferably on April 6th. ;)
 
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Longtime fan said:
She has to have a great year, a dominating year, for the pros to be interested. Let's hope she puts everyone"s fears to rest and emerges as a star. And let's hope wee get to see a hint of that in the remaining games of 2025. So far, in all honesty, her appearances have been welcoming and honorific, rather than productive and foretelling of a fabulous future on the court. Maybe that will all change in the next few weeks.
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I agree but she has not played in 15 months. I remember her as a freshman very clearly and she had it all and at 6'2" was an impossible defend. If she has a strong injury free summer she can be very good. Before she got hurt agin, Geno had her starting and said she was the best 3 point shooter on a team with Azzi!
 
Sad to say, but I think that NIL vs the WNBA salary structure next year may also factor in on whether student athletes opt to declare for the draft or not. Add in injury history vs the opportunity to get an advanced degree while strengthening their bodies as well as their game; there is no down side to staying.
 
Shenandoah said:
Sad to say, but I think that NIL vs the WNBA salary structure next year may also factor in on whether student athletes opt to declare for the draft or not.
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How will it factor in?
 
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JBK said:
Quick question.
At what venue last year did Paige announce she was coming back
I guess I am hoping that Azzi does the same thing.
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In the pregame interviews yesterday, a writer asked Azzi if she would be making an announcement on Senior Day like Paige did last year and she said no. She was definitive
 
Shenandoah said:
According to the Sporting News, rookies drafted in the top 4 sign a 4 year contract averaging 84,514. I would venture a guess that both Paige and Azzi make considerably more in NIL money.
www.sportingnews.com

How much do WNBA players make? Highest paid, average salary, rookie deals and more for 2024 | Sporting News

The Sporting News details the largest and average salaries in the WNBA as well as what the 2024 rookies can expect to make.
www.sportingnews.com www.sportingnews.com
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They can continue getting NIL payments as pros
 
Someone posted earlier on this board that Azzi was in the middle of two year Masters program.

With her injuries, she has only played the equivalent of two years. So in effect, if she were to leave she would be leaving after the equivalent of
her sophomore year. Common in the men's game but I don't think it's been done in the women's game.

Interest in women's college basketball is exploding. My bets are on Azzi coming back.
 
True...but the NIL rolls forward with them into their pro careers, usually with a nice increase.

Staying in college not a problem...as they have NIL.

Low pro salary not a problem....as they still make way more money from their sponsors.

Therefore with both routes a good financial choice, decision becomes about basketball.
 
Linart said:
With her injuries, she has only played the equivalent of two years. So in effect, if she were to leave she would be leaving after the equivalent of
her sophomore year. Common in the men's game but I don't think it's been done in the women's game.
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The rule on going to WNBA isn't based on how many healthy seasons, or NCAA games have been played...it's based on age.

I HOPE Azzi comes back and can only imagine a Husky team with the great young core plus Azzi, Caroline & Sarah!

However, if Mystics inform Azzi they will take her with pick #3,#4 or #6...that perfect scenario could be hard to resist.

#2 is LA, and #5 is Golden State also great options.
 
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With Azzi's injury history, I think her health is another consideration in the choice. If she goes to the WNBA, she will get to play, absent any preseason injury. If she stays at UConn, she may improve, but she may also suffer another injury that could derail her WNBA career.
 
#2 is Seattle and Azzi will not be going there if drafted. She is Washington’s if she decides to turn pro. Can’t really screw up with picks #3, #4 and #6. This is a talented draft class.
 
Shenandoah said:
Sad to say, but I think that NIL vs the WNBA salary structure next year may also factor in on whether student athletes opt to declare for the draft or not. Add in injury history vs the opportunity to get an advanced degree while strengthening their bodies as well as their game; there is no down side to staying.
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Considering they NIL goes with them, they’ll have both
 
OldAlum said:
With Azzi's injury history, I think her health is another consideration in the choice. If she goes to the WNBA, she will get to play, absent any preseason injury. If she stays at UConn, she may improve, but she may also suffer another injury that could derail her WNBA career.
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With a very deep roster next year (fingers crossed), the possibility of finding a true point guard in Kelis and the additional hope for the emergence of a true post player (5), the demands on Azzi could be regulated, especially early in the season. With the expectation of again winning the Big East handily, she might not have to play a significant role in those games.
 
ERWUC65 said:
With a very deep roster next year (fingers crossed), the possibility of finding a true point guard in Kelis and the additional hope for the emergence of a true post player (5), the demands on Azzi could be regulated, especially early in the season. With the expectation of again winning the Big East handily, she might not have to play a significant role in those games.
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True point guard?? Did you forget about KK??
 
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