{"id":259639,"date":"2025-09-27T21:02:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T21:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/259639\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T21:02:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T21:02:13","slug":"uconn-hc-geno-auriemma-explains-his-role-in-azzi-fudds-viral-nickname-given-by-paige-bueckers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/259639\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn HC Geno Auriemma Explains His Role in Azzi Fudd\u2019s Viral Nickname Given by Paige Bueckers"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma\u2019s close connection with Azzi Fudd played a surprising yet crucial role in the rise of her viral nickname, \u201cThe People\u2019s Princess,\u201d a title coined by Paige Bueckers. Auriemma, who has spent four decades transforming standout college players into WNBA stars, once again guided a championship roster.<\/p>\n

Inside Geno Auriemma\u2019s Role in Azzi Fudd\u2019s \u2018People\u2019s Princess\u2019 Moment<\/p>\n

When Bueckers first called Fudd \u201cThe People\u2019s Princess,\u201d it quickly became part of college basketball\u2019s lexicon. What started as a playful remark evolved into a symbol of how UConn head coach Auriemma views one of his most disciplined and polished players.<\/p>\n

During an appearance on \u201cFudd Around and Find Out,\u201d Auriemma addressed his unexpected connection to the viral nickname, offering rare insight into his coaching dynamic with Fudd.<\/p>\n

Asked if he had a hand in the title, Auriemma laughed, saying<\/a>, \u201cI do. Yeah.\u201d He recalled seeing Fudd with a water bottle labeled \u201cPrincess Ay\u201d and admitted, \u201cI didn\u2019t realize she was the People\u2019s Princess.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nickname, often tied to the idea that Auriemma doesn\u2019t yell at Fudd during practice, drew a good-natured response from both coach and player.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you don\u2019t yell at her at practice,\u201d co-host Ashanti Plummer teased. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s completely true,\u201d Auriemma replied. When asked directly, Fudd admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t get yelled at that much,\u201d prompting Auriemma to add, \u201cThere\u2019s really not a lot to get upset about and yell about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Auriemma described Fudd as one of his most consistent and focused athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAZ comes ready to go every single day,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t complain about her effort or her concentration level.\u201d He credited her dedication both on the court and in the weight room, saying she \u201cgives the best version of herself\u201d in every setting. Yet, Auriemma also admitted that her biggest challenge is embracing risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I get upset with her about her lack of adventure,\u201d he explained. \u201cShe\u2019s not a risk taker.\u201d He noted that during the \u201cFinal Four,\u201d Fudd began stepping out of her comfort zone, taking chances that paid off.<\/p>\n

The nickname\u2019s origins<\/a> trace back to a 2024 Final Four interview when Bueckers described her teammate as \u201cone of the most perfect basketball players\u201d and added, \u201cThere\u2019s not a flaw in her game. There\u2019s nothing you can really yell at her at, which is why she\u2019s like the \u2018Princess\u2019 from coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, during an episode of \u201cGood Game With Sarah Spain,\u201d Fudd reflected on the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Paige made a comment about how I\u2019m the princess because coach doesn\u2019t yell at me, and somehow that morphed into people calling me \u2018The People\u2019s Princess,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m not really sure. I know I\u2019m not mad about it, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

This past season, Fudd and Bueckers were instrumental in leading the Huskies to their first national title in nearly 10 years, outplaying South Carolina in the 2025 NCAA championship game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UConn head coach Geno Auriemma\u2019s close connection with Azzi Fudd played a surprising yet crucial role in the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":259640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1339,1317,1337,1338,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-259639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-basketball","11":"tag-ncaabasketball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115278285725643974","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}