Veterans for UConn have fought through pain to return for March Madness

STORRS, Conn. — The injuries and the emotions might have been as different as the four UConn women’s basketball teammates, but the desire to return to the court never waned for the quartet of Paige Bueckers, Caroline Ducharme, Azzi Fudd and Aubrey Griffin.

UConn headed into the Big East Tournament having played 143 games over the last four seasons and injuries have forced the veteran members of the third-ranked Huskies to miss 58, 82, 76 and 86 of those games.

Only recently have all four players been able to be healthy enough to hit the court for a UConn team eyeing a 12th national title. The hours in the training room and the tears shed behind closed doors have allowed them to create an unbreakable bond.

“We have been through so much,” Fudd said. “We have been rocks for each other, pillars to lean on and only we know the stuff we’ve been through and how we got through it.”

Griffin, Fudd and Bueckers all had ACL injuries at some point during their UConn careers.

Griffin has been at UConn the longest. She missed 36 games during the 2021-22 season and another 48 over the last two campaigns. She didn’t make her 2024-25 season debut until a Jan. 19 win over Seton Hall. Griffin had at least 10 points in three of the final six games in the regular season. She sat out the Big East Tournament because of soreness in her knee.

“I didn’t want to give up,” Griffin said. “I wanted to continue to play the sport that I love.”

When this season began, the feeling was that Griffin would return to the court at some point. There was much more uncertainty for Ducharme as she worked her way back from a concussion that threatened to end her basketball career. Ducharme returned in a Feb. 22 win at Butler.

“There are two different ways you can go with this,” Ducharme said. “You can feel sorry for yourself and step away from the game when it is too hard to be involved in it. There were days when that would have been easier (to retire). What helped me is my teammates have always been there for me and have always supported me. They have always taken care of me when I have been down so I wanted to be able to do my part and still be a part of the team and have a role. I do still believe being a good part of the team isn’t just being on the court, I wanted to be there for them, support them and be somebody they can go to.”

Fudd missed 37 of 39 games during the 2023-24 season while Bueckers was forced to sit out the entire 2022-23 season. The two wanted to play together since they first were USA Basketball teammates. It hasn’t been easy. However, they are hopeful that the best is yet to come.

“We have been through a lot together,” Bueckers said. “”When you are going through tough times with somebody on a team, it makes it so much better because you are sharing that experience. You get to share the joy of what it is like to come back and to be playing basketball again and enjoy your last (year) of college together.”

Ducharme said she plans on returning to UConn next season. Fudd, who could be a first-round pick in the WNBA Draft, is deciding whether to come back to UConn or embark on a professional career.

In the meantime, they look to lead the Huskies to a national championship.

“It has been fun for me to watch them navigate all of this because it hasn’t been easy for them,” UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said. “I am glad they are getting to finish it out in a way that they can be together on and off the court. They have been pretty tight together off the court but it is nice for them to finish with all of them on the court.”