A devastating setback for a world class talent.
The No. 1 prospect in the class of 2021, Azzi Fudd, has been sidelined to a recent ACL and MCL injury. The 5-11 guard was named the 2019 Gatorade National Player of the Year after leading St. John’s College High School (Washington, D.C.) to a 36-2 record and their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship.
Fudd averaged 26.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game—becoming the first player and sophomore from the D.C. area to win Gatorade Player of the Year honors. What made receiving this honor for Fudd even more special, if you can recall, was Elena Delle Donne hand-delivering her the trophy.
Fudd was playing in USA Basketball’s 3×3 tournament in Colorado Springs this past weekend when the injury happened. On one of her drives to the basket, she was bumped on the way down and lost her footing. Fudd will allow time for the MCL tear to heal before undergoing ACL surgery. This setback will more than likely keep her from playing a good portion of her junior season.
Although the timetable for her return isn’t certain, it could be up to a year. Allowing an MCL tear to heal on its own can take as long as three months, with ACL recovery being six to nine months.
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Fudd has been making headlines as of late after being invited to Steph Curry’s camp in August of 2015. This was certainly a prestigious honor, being just one of two females among some of the best male prospects in the country. She shined in the three-point contest, so much so that she won the entire thing.
She’s even being compared to Steph Curry himself, with the footwork of James Harden.
The star-studded sophomore, who has two USA Basketball gold medals to her name in addition to a couple high school state championships, has a bright future ahead of her. Luckily, she still has time to bounce back before taking her game to the college level.
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