PORTLAND, Ore. — Azzi Fudd’s first stop was a spot on the south side of the Moda Center floor for a postgame chat broadcast to a nation. As the UConn guard broke down the day that she fully and unmistakably stormed into relevance for any and all national awards in existence, all while Iowa and its own lodestar performer huddled up and waved goodbye to its fans, teammate Aaliyah Edwards stood by and waved her arms up and down in Fudd’s direction.
Too hot, Edwards declared. Fudd next was off to the team picture at center court, commemorating a PK Legacy championship while crouching a couple inches in front of Nike founder Phil Knight. Then came the hugs with Swin Cash. Then came the one-on-one with the radio guy in a tunnel. And finally a pair of autograph requests, with Fudd’s right hand recoiling when she was told she wasn’t allowed to oblige the lady with the glossy 8-by-10 photo.
“The other one was a little boy!” Fudd said with a smile, jogging up the tunnel ahead of a team official.
This is how it goes now: Everyone needs something from Azzi Fudd. She is inclined to provide it. This includes her third-ranked basketball team of note, which came back to beat No. 8 Iowa 86-79 on Sunday for a lot of reasons. None of them mattered more than the 5-foot-11 sophomore…
