1 day Ago By Tom Beattie
Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd boast burgeoning reputation as two of college basketball's brightest prospects after deciding against declaring for the WNBA Draft despite being eligible. In the case of Notre Dame's Miles, she had been projected as a potential No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft - behind only UConn starlet Paige Bueckers , who is is expected to be selected by the Dallas Wings.
Fudd had also been projected No. 3 by some outlets, such is the UConn ace's growing standing in the game. However, the pair will forgo the chance to embark on a professional career in the coming months, with the lure of lucrative NIL deals having been mooted by observers as a motivation behind their respective decisions.
After the NCAA permitted players to engineer their own personal brand agreements, it has been suggested that stars may earn more money in staying in school than as WNBA rookies . Lottery picks currently earn approximately $80,000 during their debut campaigns in the WNBA currently. Miles, for instance, already has deals in place with Gatorade, CVS and Celsius and will be in a position to attract more agreements when she enters the NCAA transfer portal , as expected.
Speaking after the Fighting Irish were defeated in the Sweet 16 stage of the NCAA Tournament, the youngster appeared to hint that she had a tough decision on her hands over whether to declare for the draft. She said: "It just changes every day. I love college.
I think I’ve outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It’s comfortable, a place where you have security." However, with the player eligible for a fifth and final season in the college basketball, she is now likely to play her final NCAA campaign with a direct rival.
Fellow rising talent Fudd, who also has had NIL deals in place with Curry Brand, DoorDash and Buick during her time at UConn, has recently announced her intention to stay with the Huskies next season. Explaining that coach Geno Auriemma had influenced her decision to remain, she said: "He said, 'I would say 10 games, maybe, you've played to your full potential of who Azzi Fudd really is and so you wouldn't do yourself justice leaving. You would leave here not doing what you could in a UConn uniform.
' I was like, 'Yeah, he has a point.'" The veteran Huskies figure later told ESPN: "Having someone of Azzi's ability and the way she can just control a game, she just hasn't had an opportunity, at this point, to fully show who she is, what she can do, what impact she can have on our program and on college basketball "So hopefully being here another year, having an injury-free year, knock on wood, can remind everybody this is the Azzi Fudd that was coming out of high school, and can we get a full year out of that? I'm as excited as anybody, our fans, anybody to see what can happen." UConn associate athletic director of external operations and NIL strategy Catherine Zuppani also discussed Fudd's standing with brands as she looks to continue to grow her own personal standing.
She said: "Her team and our (internal) team work well together. The opportunity with our brand and what Geno has built is incredible and the brands love working with us. And they’ll be looking to work with [Fudd] even more.
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