Gone are the days when Azzi Fudd trained under the watchful eye of Geno Auriemma at Storrs. She may have thought she was finally free from the shackles of Auriemma’s strict coaching, but fate had other plans. Now with the Dallas Wings, she’s under Jose Fernandez, a coach who brings a similarly demanding approach. Taking risks is non-negotiable in his system, and that’s something Fudd is still adjusting to.

“I had to yell at her and tell her, ‘Hey, man, you’re not going to pass up open shots,'” said Jose Fernandez on Azzi Fudd’s first day of training with the Wings, which saw her a little hesitant in shooting open shots, choosing to pass instead. And even Azzi admitted her guilt of being a little gun-shy.

“Seems to be a common trend. I don’t know, I want to share the love, but remembering to shoot when I’m open. My teammates remind me of that. It will be an easy adjustment,” said Azzi during a post-training interview, all smiles as she answered the reporter. Guilty as charged, Ms Fudd.

Jose Fernandez knows about Azzi’s ability and what a great shooter she is. More so, passing comes secondary to her as Fudd has always shown a propensity to take shots rather than passing it over. Her mechanics are quick and consistent, making her dangerous from three-point range, and her shooting percentage of 44.7 attests to that statement.

Fernandez rightly doesn’t want her to curb her natural instincts and wants her to play with the same confidence she did under Geno Auriemma, but with more freedom.

While Fudd’s chemistry with Bueckers is the talking point and always will be, courtesy of their adventurous exploits that culminated in an NCAA championship back in 2025. Fernandez also wants her to match her shooting with another stalwart in Arike Ogunbowale (15.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg,4.1 apg). But there are also some differences between the two.

Unlike Arike Ogunbowale, who thrives with the ball in her hands, Azzi Fudd’s off-ball shooting is what complements the Dallas Wings’ guard-heavy roster. But for this offense to truly work, Fudd cannot just be a shooter, she has to be a constant scoring threat. By yelling “shoot the damn ball,” Fernandez is trying to break away from the pass-first philosophy that worked at UConn, largely because of the depth and talent Geno Auriemma typically had at his disposal.

Fernandez knows the three-point shooting issue needs immediate attention. The Dallas Wings ranked dead last in three-point efficiency at 30.4% last season, a key reason Curt Miller prioritized adding Azzi Fudd and Alanna Smith. This isn’t about individual stats. It’s about forcing defenses to respect the perimeter so they can’t pack the paint against Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale.

So the coach wants Azzi Fudd to throw away her self-doubt and, instead of looking to play the role of the main facilitator, choose to be the shooter.

And Azzi knows there’s no one better than Jose Fernandez to help take her game to the next level, especially after the former USF coach received high praise from Geno Auriemma.

“I’ve always had the utmost respect for Jose as a teacher and an innovator. He’s a guy who thinks outside the box, whether that’s recruiting internationally or playing a style of basketball that’s unique,” Auriemma said, calling him “a close friend for many years.”

“As a person, I think he’s terrific at communicating with his players. He’s a relationship guy. I think he’ll bring tremendous energy, stability and innovation to that organization.”

Hopefully, after seeing this amount of confidence from the coach and her team, Azzi will now look to take that chance in the organization that she plans to leave a lasting legacy in.

Fudd Plans To Make Dallas A Winning Organization

What more can you expect from a player who comes from a decorated program like UConn, a team so habituated to winning that anything less feels like an anomaly?

For Azzi, her program might have changed, but the mantra stays the same – win at all costs. Something that she really will have to dig deep to find because, unlike UConn, who have seldom seen adversity, Dallas is presently right in the middle of it with a very lopsided win-loss record.

“I can’t wait to get on the floor with [The Dallas Wings], learn from them, learn how to play with them, learn from the coaches, and really just see how I can contribute and make this a winning organization,” she says, confident of the change she wants to bring.

Azzi is mature and confident but not overconfident, and she is making big claims because she knows she will be playing in the big leagues now.

“I’m going to be playing against the best in the world, so I know the odds are kind of stacked against me in that sense. But I’m excited to compete,” she says.

The WNBA doesn’t merely bring in people of the same age group together, but also veterans who have been doing this for years. The likes of Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and A’ja Wilson are all part of this world who have been battle-tested, and Azzi knows the risks.

Either way, Azzi chooses to remain undaunted in the face of challenges and wants to take everything head-on. And with the amount of talent this girl from Virginia possesses, it won’t be long before her name will be mentioned in the same breath as those legends of the sport.