Paige Bueckers, Azi Fudd, and the rest of the UConn Huskies are midway through their eight-day Christmas break, but instead of taking it easy, Bueckers and Fudd are instead making use of their downtime to polish their basketball skills. This week, the duo trained with pro-level basketball skills coach Darren McLinton.
McLinton posted on his Instagram account a mixtape of the Huskies duo working on their handles as well as their on-ball and off-ball shooting.
“Home for a quick Christmas break, gotta get it in!!! UCONN’s Dynamic Duo Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were super focused, and seem ready for the upcoming Big East part of their season! LET’S GOOO!!!” the skills coach said in his caption.
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Bueckers and Fudd recently lost in a marquee matchup against the USC Trojans, 72-70, marking their second loss of the season. Bueckers finished with 22 points, while Fudd did not manage to score a point in eight minutes of playtime.
Bueckers had a rather inconsistent start to the season. She is currently averaging 20.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, shooting 55% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Fudd, who has played in only half of UConn’s 12 games so far, is still recovering from a knee sprain that she suffered during her 18-point game against Louisville earlier this month. She is currently averaging a career-low of 8.3 points and 2.5 rebounds on 45.2% field shooting.
Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins talk about facing each other
After Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins had nothing but praise for each other after battling for only the second time in their careers, Bueckers scored 22 points while Watkins scored 25 in the 72-70 win.
“Playing against great players, you embrace the matchup,” Bueckers said in the Huskies’ postgame interview. “You have fun in the moment. Both teams are trying to win, but yeah, matchups like these are why we play basketball.”
When it was Watkins and the Trojans’ turn to be interviewed, she was asked about facing Bueckers, and she uttered a response that also showed her respect for the Huskies star.
“Paige is an excellent player, and I think it’s just a testament to when you give women a platform, we’re going to perform,” Watkins said.
The UConn Huskies will look to avenge their second loss when they face the Providence Friars on Sunday in their last matchup of 2024. Meanwhile, the Trojans will attempt to preserve their winning streak against the Michigan Wolverines on the same day.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
