STORRS, Conn. — Azzi Fudd’s stomach dropped as soon as Paige Bueckers called and told her the news in early August. The UConn star point guard had torn the ACL in her left knee.
“I got this sick feeling,” Fudd said. “I kind of think Paige is invincible sometimes, so I never thought that would happen. … It was kind of just a sad moment knowing what she was gonna have to go through and just how long and tedious this process is.”
Isuneh “Ice” Brady, Amari DeBerry, Caroline Ducharme and Aubrey Griffin were on the court with Bueckers when she suffered the injury in a pickup game. Bueckers went back to the training room after feeling a pop when she came down awkwardly from a layup attempt. Ducharme and DeBerry drove her to get the MRI that evening. That’s when Bueckers found out she’d have to spend her junior season watching the Huskies from the sidelines.
Nika Mühl and Dorka Juhász were back home overseas, in Croatia and Hungary, respectively, when it happened. Because of the time difference, they both woke up to a text from Bueckers with the news.
“It was I think 5 a.m.,” Mühl said. “I just literally started crying. I was like bawling my eyes out. I just couldn’t believe it. Just to hear that first thing in the morning, I didn’t even open my eyes yet. So it was definitely devastating.”
UConn was burdened by injuries and COVID-19 issues to nearly the entire roster en route to a national championship game appearance last season. That included Bueckers, who missed 19 games with an anterior tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear in the same knee. She was feeling “really good” and “ready for the season to start” with everyone finally back healthy, but then came the ACL tear. Bueckers’ injury completely changes the identity of the Huskies for the upcoming season, but they remain undeterred with the same goals and expectations as before.
“When we heard the news, it was obviously shocking and hard,” Mühl said. “But if we didn’t go through what we went through last year and we heard the news, it would be 10 times harder. So that last year definitely helped and I feel like we got it. We got it. I’m confident in us, for sure.”
Bueckers led UConn in points, assists and steals per game in each of the last two seasons, the first of which saw her receive multiple national player of the year honors. The Huskies know that no single player is going to be able to step in and replace her on their own, rather everyone will have to pitch in a little bit to help fill that void.
However, if there’s one player that responsibility especially falls on it is Mühl, who was tasked with filling in as starting point guard in the 19 games Bueckers sat out. Mühl averaged 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game on the season and was named the 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Bueckers said the duo had a conversation about what Mühl’s new role will look like and how they can help one another with the transition. Mühl was already focused on improving her offensive game this offseason but said she took her workouts to another level of intensity after receiving news of the injury. She wants to be a leader for the Huskies.
“I’m definitely gonna try to step up to the best of my ability, try to embrace all of that,” Mühl said. “It’s gonna be hard, but that’s what we’re here for, is for it to be hard. … I’m not expecting myself to transform to a different player. It’s not gonna happen overnight. But I have been working on the things that I need to work on and I’m confident in that right now.”
UConn will also need more production from Fudd. She came into the program last year as the most highly touted freshman in the country but was hampered by a foot injury all season. Though she averaged 12.1 points while shooting 43% from beyond the arc, Fudd said she wasn’t playing at all like herself. Back fully healthy, she’s excited to showcase more of her game beyond her knockdown shooting ability. And she hinted that could include some minutes at point guard if need be.
“I played point guard with USA Basketball, so I know I’m capable of it,” Fudd said. “And J [assistant coach Jamelle Elliott] said that the other day. She was like, ‘With Paige out, did that even cross your mind, like that you might have to be backup point guard?’ And I was like, ‘No, it did not cross my mind. But I’m ready for it.’ I like a good challenge.”
The entire team just got on campus a few days ago and hasn’t had an official practice yet, but the benefit of knowing Bueckers is out ahead of the season, instead of her suffering the injury midway through, is the Huskies will have plenty of time to test different things out like that now.
“Last year we had to adjust on the fly a lot, like we heard someone was hurt and then the next day we had a game, so we didn’t have as much time to adjust and recover from that,” Ducharme said. “But I think it helps us this year that we have all summer, we have all fall, we have the preseason to kind of adjust and figure out what our new identity is gonna be.”
While the team figures out that identity, Bueckers already has hers in mind. She plans to fill in as “players coach,” as someone her teammates can turn to for an extra push, energy, support and anything else in between. And she has ultimate trust and confidence in those teammates to step up in her place.
“Last year we were the underdogs and we made it to the national championship game,” Bueckers said. “We do better with a chip on our shoulder and when we have a lot to prove. And I know a lot of people are already counting us out, so I’m excited.
“I know this team knows our potential, I know our potential, Coach knows our potential. And we have really big things ahead of us, we’re an amazing team. And we have great talent, we have the best talent in the world and the best coaching staff in the world. So I’m excited for them to show the world what we can do.”
