Azzi Fudd fans are furious after a brutally honest WNBA draft big board by Hunter Cruz ranked her outside the elite tier. Let’s talk about why this reaction proves everything wrong with UConn fan culture right now.
Alright lads, we gotta talk about this one. Because UConn Twitter officially lost its damn mind today. Hunter Cruz drops his first WNBA Draft Big Board, and—wait for it—it’s not even a mock draft. It’s just a ranking of prospects. But the minute Azzi Fudd wasn’t sitting in the top three, the UConn fanbase acted like someone just disrespected basketball itself.
Like… come on. It’s literally a big board. Chill.
And before anyone starts crying “bias,” let’s be real: the man was right. Azzi’s a super senior who’s only played one fully healthy season. One. That’s not a knock—it’s just reality. She’s got one elite skill (shooting) and a bunch of “meh”s in everything else. She’s not a great slasher, not a great defender, not a playmaker, not a driver. She’s a 3-and-no-D player. You can find those everywhere.
The Overreaction Olympics Begin
Bro, the UConn fans are acting like saying “Azzi isn’t a top-three prospect” is a federal crime. These people are on fanfic levels of delusion. Like, some of them really think the WNBA GMs are gonna line up to draft a 24-year-old rookie with three knee injuries just because she used to torch kids in high school. Newsflash: it’s 2025. It’s a guard-driven league. The game has evolved.
Look at A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, Satu Sabally—they’re modern bigs who can move, stretch, and switch. Traditional back-to-the-basket bigs? They’re dinosaurs. And that applies to guards too—if you can’t defend and you’re not elite off the bounce, you’re a liability.
Azzi Fudd Isn’t Bad… But She’s Not That Girl
Let’s be honest for a second: Azzi Fudd is good. Like, legitimately talented. But great? That’s where it gets tricky. She’s elite at one thing—shooting—and decent at best at everything else. You can’t be a one-trick pony in the W. Teams are going to test you defensively, force you into pick-and-roll switches, and if you can’t hold your own? You sit.
And for people comparing her to Paige Bueckers? Stop. Just stop. They’re not even in the same galaxy. Paige impacts every single possession—offense, defense, tempo, leadership. Azzi? She’s more of a specialist. And that’s fine. But it’s not number-one-pick fine.
The Real Ones Know: Awa Fam Is the Truth
While UConn fans are busy crying over draft rankings, let’s talk about who the real number one prospect is—Awa Fam. That’s the one. She’s younger, more athletic, more versatile, and already dominating grown women overseas. Awa’s not just a prospect, she’s a prototype.
And people saying “Lauren Betts should go number one”? Stop it. The league’s not built for slow-footed bigs anymore. Cardoso, Kalani Brown—they put up numbers, but you can target them every trip down. You can literally run them off the floor. That’s not winning basketball in 2025.
So yeah, Awa Fam being number one isn’t “rage bait.” It’s called being accurate.
UConn Fans Took It Personally (As Always)
The replies under that big board are comedy gold. “He’s mocking her injuries!” “He’s just jealous!” “How dare you disrespect Azzi!” No, he’s just being honest. That’s all. But some folks in this fanbase don’t want honesty—they want fairytales. They want everyone to pretend that four knee surgeries later, she’s still a top-three lock. She’s not.
And when someone points out facts, they melt down like snow in July. Fanfic FC, as the internet calls them, are allergic to reality.
The Real Draft Tier: Big Six and Then Chaos
Every real scout knows it. This draft class has a Big Six—Awa Fam, Flau’jae Johnson, Paige Bueckers, Kiki Rice, Olivia Miles, and Azzi Fudd. After that? The drop-off is massive. If you’re the Indiana Fever, and you fall to eighth because of the new expansion teams, you’re suddenly talking about whether you should draft-stash Iyana Martin or take a flyer on Hannah Stuelke. That’s the difference between elite and desperate.
Azzi being at six is fine. That’s exactly where she belongs.
Final Thoughts: Stop Taking It So Personally
At the end of the day, no one’s saying Azzi Fudd can’t make it in the WNBA. But this idea that she’s still a top-two lock is fantasy. She’s older, injury-prone, and less dynamic than the rising stars ahead of her. You can love her game and still admit that.
And if you can’t handle a little honesty about your favorite player? That’s not on the analyst. That’s on you.
So yeah—Hunter Cruz didn’t “disrespect” Azzi. He just said what everyone else was thinking but too scared to tweet:
Azzi Fudd’s elite skill is shooting—but everything else is mid.
And that’s okay.
Because not everyone’s a superstar. Some players are just specialists. The problem is, UConn fans don’t want a shooter—they want a savior.
Sorry, but the mock draft gods don’t care about your nostalgia.
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