uconn basketball

Fernando Mendoza Talks ‘Underdog Status’ While Azzi Fudd Takes on ‘Wings’ at the Top Spots in Their Respective Drafts

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In the space of just over a month, we saw the sports world light-up like a fireworks display. Back in March when the slate of teams was announced for the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship, there was another marathon happening in the background. This was between the WNBA league and players’ Union.

The previous Collective Bargaining Agreement had expired at the end of last season and a new one needed to be in place for the next season. Many issues were being discussed but the sticking points were revenue sharing and housing. The good news is both sides signed a new CBA on the dotted line.

Then, sports media coverage jumped to the drafts in the WNBA and the NFL. On the basketball side, Azzi Fudd was the #1 pick, joining the Dallas wings and her former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers. The football side saw Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza secure the #1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.

As they get more of the spotlight, Mendoza reflects on his underdog status as a player. He plans on staying in character and on skillset for what he’ll face in the pros. While Fudd enters at a time of the league’s new CBA with excitement and dollars to go with it. They’re focused on further realizing their:  

  • Greatness:- Mendoza and his Hoosier teammates were undefeated in the season by winning the big game. That’s not easy to duplicate but is a reminder of what it takes to level-up in any field.
  • Witness:- His faith is a big part of how he rolls. While he’s often seen as a witness for his belief system, his edge prob comes from his system of beliefs. A witness and fitness in life and game.
  • Uniqueness:- Some might feel Fudd isn’t a high-flying star player in the UConn tradition. But clearly, she maximizes her uniqueness on the court in how she delivers as a high-impact player.
  • Wholeness:- What they’ve come to know as athletes and individuals is that if their game has a ‘hole’ in it, it will take the ‘W’ of wisdom to fill it, and the ‘W’ of winning to build on it.       

The UConn women’s team was on track to have an undefeated season. They fell one game short of making it to the championship. Even though UCLA won it all, it was Fudd who landed the #1 spot in the draft. So, in life even if you lose sometimes, that doesn’t mean taking an ‘L’ makes you a loser.

For Medoza and Fudd, a new learning curve has begun. They’ll be working on making their greatness come through at the pro level. What they do to continue being a witness on and off their field of dreams will draw on their individual uniqueness and strengthen their wholeness as ambassadors of the game.

Talkback: Does it matter if some feel Fudd wasn’t a high-flying star player in the UConn tradition?

Tip: Don’t get hung up on what others say about you. What you say and do about you speaks for itself.

Tracks: Alicia Keys – Underdog – https://youtu.be/izyZLKIWGiA?si=FyyakKvi638ChXjo

Agent Sasco – Winner Right Now – https://youtu.be/yrNe0eqoEPg?si=pashp9oqeo3_-WiA

Hitting the Jackpot in the #1 Spot: Rory McIlroy as ‘King of the Course’ & Paige Bueckers as ‘Queen of the Court’ Turned Setbacks into Comebacks

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From the looks on their faces, there’s nothing like hitting it big! This wasn’t a case of someone winning the top prize in the state lottery. Instead, this was seeing the fruits of their labor in having Rory McIlroy and Paige Bueckers hit the jackpot in the #1 spot of their pro game.

For Bueckers it was in becoming the #1 selection in the 2025 WNBA draft class. This was widely expected in sports circles but still felt like a surreal moment when it happened. She became the sixth UConn women’s basketball player to go #1 in the draft. And we know how some have made history since.

With McIlroy, the journey from the first hole to the 18th hole is filled with potential bunker stops, water drops and putting flops. He’s been at it for 17 years at the Masters tournament without landing the green jacket. Plus, it took 11 years of chasing the career grand slam win that now puts him in rare company.

Leading up to the Masters, McIlroy had to contend with the ‘ghosts’ of the past. So, he did a one-on-one session with golf great Jack Nicklaus which seemed to help him purge those memories. Both McIlroy and Bueckers have had tough times and disappointments, but turned setbacks into comebacks through:

  • Teamwork:- In order to be awesome, you’ll end up spelling ‘we’ before spelling ‘me’. Her coach says while her passion for the game gets a lot of attention, she spreads it to others too.
  • Dreamwork:- As the saying goes, “teamwork makes the dream work.” When asked what helped her persist, Bueckers say she feels a sense of purpose in her game that carries over to her fame.   
  • Homework:- During setbacks, we can complain about lemons or turn moments into lemonade. This took patience for McIlroy doing what others don’t see, to produce results others would see.
  • Life’s Work:- There’re things we do to raise our skillset and career mindset. But room for growth came with positivity and self-development that’s sure to take them beyond their fields of dreams.   

Things are just getting started as a pro for Bueckers. She’s already got an NIL deal from her college days that’s sure to translate to a bigger bag. Word is that she’s signed a deal with the new 3-on-3 Unrivaled league that will have her making more dough in one year than she’ll make in a 4-year WNBA span.  

The golf season is still early, so McIlroy could turn his green jack into Irish green cash flow. Sometimes luck of the draw might be on one’s side. Along the way you might win some and lose some, but rest in knowing things will be alright. This year for McIlroy and Bueckers might feel like they can have it all.

Talkback: Does Bueckers have the goods for bringing a new level of buzz to women’s pro basketball?

Tip: In life you go from ‘grab bag to bigger bag’ by how you turn moments of doubt to new rounds of clout.

Tracks: Josh Grobin – Be Alright – https://youtu.be/nwEDG_rOI6Y?si=BkGpVxbiJHZr0HD1

Maoli – You Can Have it All – https://youtu.be/YEXzSrkRTTI?si=sG5Vr-_-pJkmYjqj