WASHINGTON DC – Group of 10 girls sat in a circle.
Some had questions: Who is your best friend on the team? When did you start sports?
Others asked for basketballs and notebooks to be signed.
Azzi Fudd, who was sitting on one side of the apartment, made sure every girl was heard.
He listened carefully to every question, answering every one, however random or obvious. What’s your favorite food? Which college are you going to? He signed every basketball, t-shirt or notebook put in front of him and even took selfies with the kids when asked.
The Q&A session was one of four stations during his summer camp in St. Petersburg, from which he graduated Saturday. John’s College High School in Washington DC
This is the sixth straight summer that the UConn women’s basketball guard has hosted a summer camp, but the first year was able to profit from the camp’s earnings thanks to the name, appearance, and likeness. But the 19-year-old said he chose to donate all of his camp income to the Pat Summitt Foundation in memory of his great-grandmother, who died of Alzheimer’s disease.
For Azzi, hosting camps like this weekend isn’t about advancing her own brand or financial future, but instead about giving back in whatever way she can.
“The passing of my great-grandmother has had a huge impact on my life, and it’s something I care about, something I’m passionate about helping,” Azzi said on Saturday. “(Pat Summitt) was a great coach, obviously the ‘Go Huskies’ but he’s a great coach and I totally respect everything he’s done for the women’s game. Being able to support a foundation that supports the things I care about, while also being able to support the game and someone who helps the legacy of women’s basketball is huge for me.”
Azzi’s great-grandmother, Lucy, moved in with the Fudds around the time Azzi was born. At first, Azzi’s parents were able to help Katie and Tim raise a newborn baby, but soon his diagnosis worsened and his health declined. Lucy has gone from helping raise Azzi to be her peer, as the two often pull ice cream out of the freezer together. Soon, it was Azzi who reminded Lucy to take her medicine.
Lucy died when Azzi was 5 years old.
Azzi first had the idea to combine her passion for basketball with honoring Lucy when she was assigned to a school project in eighth grade. That summer, Azzi hosted her first day camp with the help of her family. Participation was free and donations to the Pat Summitt Foundation were encouraged. Tim says that usually only 30 to 40 kids show up.
Azzi has continued to host the camp every year since then.
“Very devoted, very caring,” Katie said. “She loves young children and loves to be with and take care of them. So, I think who he is. … I think she felt a sense of purpose and value in giving back and doing something that matters.”
Tim added: “The desire to represent and honor a family member who passed away, I think that makes you proud. We’re really big on family and we preach it and model it in everything we do, and I think that’s one of those things that makes you sit back and say, ‘She understands’. He’s getting the message.’”
With Azzi’s growing popularity and visibility since starring at UConn, Fudds wanted to expand this year’s camp.
They hired Aziz. John’s gym with the help of Azzi’s former high school coach, Jonathan Scribner. Scribner used sports camp business Hoop Education as a registration tool to help organize the camp’s enrollment. Tim found someone to create the flyers and Azzi posted them on their social media channels knowing they would reach more of the local kids. Players John’s girls’ basketball team and Katie’s AAU team volunteered to coach the kids with Azzi’s brothers.
Irish Esther Nilebemuo first saw the flyer on Azzi’s Instagram account, which has 216,000 followers. He had already planned to spend the summer in Baltimore working on basketball, and made it a priority to stop by Azzi’s camp while he was in town.
I’m a long time fan of Azzi so when I saw it on Instagram, I said ‘I have to come’. I have to meet him and see his play,” said 16-year-old Nilebemuo. “He’s a big name. She plays for UConn, all the wonders have played at UConn, Sue Bird, all of them.”
Azzi’s NIL partnerships also helped support the camp. Under Armor, which has an agreement with Stephen Curry of the NBA, partnered with Azzi, donated designer shirts for the camp, while BioSteele donated a palette of bags in a variety of flavors. st. John allowed campers to use their basketballs and equipment while at the gym.
“I love it here,” Azzi said. “I have very good memories here and have good relations with many people, such as the manager, with all of them. So it means a lot to know that they still care about what I do and let me use this space.
“Not many graduates came back while I was here, and now that I’m in college, I travel a lot. I’m home for 10 days this summer, that’s all, and I told myself I’d never be a graduate that never came back. It’s like I want to come to training. I want to do everything I can to come to the games and support them, and the fact that they support me means a lot to the school.”
This year’s camp was held on Saturdays and Sundays in two-to-three-hour sessions each day. The morning session was reserved for children from third grade to eighth grade, and the afternoon for children from high school to seventh grade.
Each session began with dynamic dribbling warm-ups and then progressed to shooting drills and various skill stations, including a Q&A session with Azzi. After each station was completed, the children participated in the competition portion of the session. Young children competed in a skill competition to test their dribbling, speed and shooting skills. Older children competed in the free throw competition and 3×3 games. Sunday’s sessions were devoted to games and attacks.
“I learned how to dribble (dribbling) between my legs several times in a row without stopping,” said Kendall Cunningham, 9 years old. “It was fun talking to Azzi because she’s really nice and she let us ask (ask) questions, which was really fun. … (to meet him) I was very nervous because I am one of his biggest fans. I admire him because he’s a bit like me, like he has the same interests.”
Candy and Phil Anderson surprise their daughter Presley with camp tickets. They told him they were visiting family in DC from their West Chester, Pennsylvania home, and unbeknownst to him, they packed a bag full of basketball gear, including Azzi’s shirt and Paige Bueckers’ cover of SLAM Magazine. When they got to their hotel in DC, they told Presley that he was meeting Azzi.
“I want to go to UConn and she’s one of my favorite players because she’s a good shooter and a really good girl,” Presley said. “I didn’t know we were coming, so I was shocked.”
Gina Leonard grew up in Wethersfield and was a lifelong UConn fan before moving to Virginia. On Saturday, he brought his 12-year-old daughter, Adriana, to camp for a chance to learn from Azzi.
“I really like UConn and women’s basketball and she’s a much stronger player,” Adriana said. “It’s incredible to watch. Probably one of my biggest role models. He’s kind of like a celebrity and I was a little nervous because I didn’t want to make any wrong moves or anything. It was amazing. It was really fun.”
In the second session on Saturday, former Husky and current Washington Mystics guard Evina Westbrook stopped by to appear with her mother. When the camp was over, Westbrook stayed behind to sign autographs with some of the campers.
Eighty-six children attended Saturday’s session. At $75 for a one-day ticket and $125 for both days, Fudds will easily be able to reimburse the costs of buying gym rentals and camping insurance, but more importantly, they’ll be able to give back more than they have. in the past years.
“He reaches out and encourages, teaches and motivates the next crop of kids to come, whether they succeed or not,” Tim said. “We think it’s very important to get the next guy. You go back and shoot the next one because this sport wouldn’t be where it is today without the return of the older generations of Sue (Bird) and Diana (Taurasi).
“The real desire of the Azzis and Paiges is to see the game really grow. They want to leave the game in a better place than when they came in, and I think the only way to do that is to impress those behind you and continue to be that kind of role model.”
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