Caroline Ducharme will be at least on a par with Azzi Fudd as best freshman. Geno Said it all. “She’s got a huge chip on her shoulder about a lot of things, and I like that. She’s pissed.” “She reminds me a lot of Carla Berube or Amy Duran. She’s not afraid. She works on her game constantly. She is competitive as hell. They (teammates) don’t know how she does it, but she beats their butts.” “I feel like I’ve always been under the radar, and I feel like I’m always trying to prove something. I’m really competitive,” said Ducharme. Fire in the belly! She likes the best player, If she can emulate his style to some extent, she will be on the court a lot. “Larry Bird,” Ducharme said. “I think the way he affected so many parts of the game. He’s really smart, he knows how to play the game. He was never the most athletic, never the strongest, but he knew how to play the game.” Without Bueckers 3pt numbers the team averaged 32%. They need to average 40% or better. Underachievers can say 35% is good enough … it isn't. Both Bueckers and Williams have been surprised positively by Ducharme's play. Teammates say she is a shooter from any range. “She’s impressed me,” said senior guard Christyn Williams. “I didn’t know what to expect from her, but she’s really good. She can shoot. Once she gets on a roll, she doesn’t miss. Finally from Fudd's buddy: “Caroline is like really sneaky good,” Bueckers said. “People obviously know her, but the big talk was about Azzi. Caroline’s really good.” Bueckers has never been nervous at UCONN. I believe Ducharme approaches Bueckers relative to lack of nerves. She is 20 and appears to be mature.
Dorka Juhász will meld with Ododa and Edwards to form a formidable high-low combination. Usually two at a time but seeing all three once in a while would be interesting. She has extensive college level experience resulting a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and Second Team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman Team honors. She averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds last season, a double-double. Last season she rebounded nearly 14 percent of Ohio State’s missed shots and 22 percent of opponents’, both of which ranked in the top four percent in the nation. Prior to Ohio State, Juhász played for PEAC-Pécs in the Hungarian Championship Division A. She represented Hungary at the 2017 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup. Juhász was the No. 12-ranked international player in the 2018 class. This is a highly skilled experienced player. My favorite trait is fire in the belly. Dorka has it. “My biggest reason to leave (Ohio State) was to find a place where I can get better and improve as a player the most,” Juhász said. “I was in the transfer portal, I had many many great offers, but I just feel like UConn was that one place that I could really see myself improving and just getting better.” Per Geno: “She’s all of 6-5 and she’s long and aggressive as hell. She’s fitting in nicely in a lot of ways. She can shoot the hell out of it and she’s really highly skilled. Just need to calm her down a little bit. She’s so excited about playing, being here. But I love her personality. I love that she brings an old school work ethic.”
Azzi Fudd will not play to the level of Bueckers as most everyone expects. Only Bueckers and Courtney Paris were first team All-Americans and Paigr is the only freshman player of the year. Azzi will be very good but most will be surprised when she does not start or get 25 plus minutes per game.
