Draft Night Awaits Azzi Fudd, McNeeley Wins G League Championship
Azzi Fudd
The former Husky star is expected to hear her name called very early in tonight’s WNBA Draft, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fudd, who averaged a career-high 17.3 points per game in her final season in Storrs, is projected to be selected third overall by the Seattle Storm, according to mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, and Bleacher Report.
The 2025 national champion had been projected as the number one overall pick for most of the season and to reunite with her former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers, but many draft experts now believe the Dallas Wings will select TCU’s Olivia Miles with the top pick. Miles averaged nearly a triple-double (19.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game) in four NCAA Tournament games. Meanwhile, Fudd scored just 31 points on 12-of-39 shooting (30.8%) over the Huskies’ final three games of the tournament.
With all that being said, the Wings could still opt to pair Fudd and Bueckers once again. If Dallas selects Fudd number one overall, she would become the seventh player in program history to be taken first overall, joining Bueckers (2025), Breanna Stewart (2016), Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004), and Sue Bird (2002).
Liam McNeeley
For most of the 21st century, the Charlotte Hornets have consistently been near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Since the 2004–05 season, they’ve averaged a 10th-place finish. Outside of a few playoff appearances during the Kemba Walker era, it has largely been a stretch of disappointment. However, recent moves, highlighted by a strong 2025 draft class including the selection of Liam McNeeley at 29th overall might be a sign that the franchise may be turning things around.
Some signs of this turnaround? Let’s start with McNeeley and the G League as the Greensboro Swarm (Hornets’ G League affiliate) won the 2026 G League Championship after defeating the defending champions, the Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings’ G Leagie affiliate), 119–104 on Friday night. The Swarm completed a two-game sweep, after winning Game 1 on Wednesday.
Across five postseason games, McNeeley averaged 17.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range, along with two double-doubles. In Game 2 of the finals, he scored 21 points, including two dagger three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
From a developmental standpoint, McNeeley has looked noticeably more confident and fluid since returning from a left ankle injury last month. He appears to be adjusting well to the pace of professional basketball. While the NBA is obviously a different level than the G League, it’s worth noting that McNeeley was one of four players selected by the Hornets in last year’s draft, the most the franchise has ever taken in a single draft. At just 20 years old, he is also tied for the youngest player on the roster alongside Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel. Charlotte also became the first team in NBA history to win both an NBA Summer League Championship and a G League Championship in the same season. While that does not guarantee NBA success, it does signal a cultural shift within the franchise.
That progress has already shown up at the NBA level. After scoring a season-low 87 points in a 94–87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers back on January 21st, the Hornets fell to 16–28 on the season. Following that game, they rattled off nine straight wins and went 28–10 over their final 38 games to finish the regular season at 44–38 and secure the ninth seed in the upcoming Play-In Tournament, where they will host the Miami Heat on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime. Only the Thunder, Spurs and Celtics posted better records over that same time period.
The Hornets will need to win that game and then defeat the winner of the seventh-seed vs. eighth-seed matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic to advance to the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and face the conference’s top seed, the Detroit Pistons.
The feeling around the league is that this Hornets team will be a tough out this postseason and a force to be reckoned with over the upcoming years.
As I have been saying all season, patience, Huskies fans. Liam will get his opportunity with the Charlotte Hornets.
Andre Drummond
Friday night was a historic one for Andre Drummond, as the veteran big man scored 10 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 195–94 win over the Indiana Pacers, recording the 500th double-double of his career. Drummond became just the 18th player in NBA history to reach the milestone, joining players such as Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and LeBron James.
From the 2013–14 through 2019–20 seasons, Drummond recorded at least 45 double-doubles in each year, mostly with the Detroit Pistons. That stretch included three seasons with more than 60 double-doubles. His career-high came in 2018–19, when he finished with 69 double-doubles. After only recording five double-doubles last season, the 2012 Big East Freshman of the Year posted 17 during the 2025-2026 regular season.
Including double-double number 501 of his career in the 76ers regular season finale! Drummond scored 12 points behind two three-pointers and 13 rebounds with three assists and one block in the 76ers 126-106 win over Andre Jackson Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks.
And with a UConn matchup, we had some great Husky on Husky crime action!
Tyrese Martin was the third former Husky to check into this game, but he didn’t enter until the final minute and did not record any stats.
The 76ers (45–37) finished the regular season as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and will host the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime in the Play-In Tournament. The winner of that game will advance to a first-round matchup against the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, as mentioned above, the loser will host the loser of the 9 vs. 10 Play-In matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat. The winner of that game will face the Eastern Conference’s number one seed, the Detroit Pistons, in the opening round.
Donovan Clingan
The Trail Blazers were essentially playing “playoff games” over the weekend, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings at home on Friday and Sunday. The wins were fueled in part by back-to-back double-doubles from Donovan Clingan.
Those victories locked the 42-40 Blazers into the Western Conference’s eighth seed which means they will face the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET in Phoenix in the NBA Play-In Tournament, airing on Amazon Prime. The winner will go on to face Stephon Castle and the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
The loser of this game will host the winner of the ninth vs. tenth-seeded matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. The winner of that game will face the Western Conference’s top seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
How cool would a Castle vs. Clingan best-of-seven series be?! I know I’ll be rooting hard for the Blazers on Tuesday night!
Stephon Castle
Castle returned to the starting lineup in the San Antonio Spurs season finale after missing the two previous games with a knee injury. The second-year guard nearly had himself another triple-double, but instead settled for his 18th double-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the San Antonio Sours 128-118 loss to the Denevr Nuggets.
Castle’s remarkable sophomore season comes to a conclusion as the former Husky averaged 16.8 points 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 7.3 assists per game. Up next is Castle’s first taste of the NBA postseason where he just might meet Clingan in the opening round.
Jordan Hawkins
Hawkins finished his third NBA season on a high note, scoring in double figures in four of his final five games. On Friday night against the Boston Celtics, he recorded 20 points, marking his second consecutive 20-plus-point performance after scoring 25 on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz, just the second time in his career he has posted back-to-back 20-point games.
Against Boston, he shot an efficient 8-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, and went a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes, in the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 loss.
Then in the Pelicans season finale, Hawkins made his first start of the season and scored 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting with five more rebounds, three assists and one steal in a season-high 33 minutes.
Hawkins averaged 15.8 points per game on 30-of-63 shooting (47.6%) and 12-of-24 from three (50.0%) in those five games.
Tristen Newton
Newton made his NBA season debut on Sunday night after checking in for the Houston Rockets at the start of the fourth quarter in the Rockets 132-101 win over Cam Spencer-less Memphis Grizzlies.
The First Team All-G League member immediately made an impact on the offensive end after making his first two shots.
Newton finished with a career-high 12 points, setting personal bests in field goals made (4), three-pointers made (2), and free throws made (2), all in a career-high 12 minutes.
Newton last played in the NBA back on February 13th, 2025 with the Indiana Pacers.
The Houston Rockets (52–30) earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference and will face the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Matthew Wood
Wood scored his 17th goal of the season in the Nashville Predators’ 2–1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. With two regular-season games remaining, Wood and the Predators still have work to do in their push for a playoff spot, as five teams are competing for the final two positions in the Western Conference.
Tage Thompson
Thompson last scored a goal five games ago on March 31st, but his Buffalo Sabres went 3-2 over that span and are four points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony Kay
For the first time since June 24th, 2021, former Husky star Anthony Kay earned an MLB win, carving up the Kansas City Royals lineup in a 2–0 victory for the Chicago White Sox. The southpaw threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while walking two and striking out six. It marked his third appearance and second start of the season, as Kay has opened the year as the White Sox’s number 3 starter.
Back in the 2016 MLB Draft, the New York Mets selected Kay at the back end of the first round with the 31st overall pick. Kay, never made a start with the Mets, originally, as the Stony Brook, New York native was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2019 MLB trade deadline in a blockbuster deal that sent Marcus Stroman back to Flushing.
Injuries derailed Kay’s time in Toronto, as he made just 28 appearances (including seven starts) over four seasons from 2019 to 2022. He spent time with the Chicago Cubs and returned to the Mets in 2023 before eventually being waived by the club. Kay then spent two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. In 2025, he set a BayStars franchise record with a 1.74 ERA over 155 innings pitched. That performance earned him a two-year, $12 million contract with the White Sox this past December.
Kay’s next scheduled start is set for Wednesday April 15th against the Tampa Bay Rays.
George Springer
The Toronto Blue Jays placed Outfielder/Designated Hitter George Springer on the 10-day injured list Sunday morning. Springer fouled a ball off his left foot in the bottom of the third inning in the Blue Jays 7–4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The club is saying it is a fracture of his big left toe.
Toronto Manager John Schneider said, “We didn’t want to push George and compromise him or have him play at 65–70 percent right now. We all know he can do that. I don’t want a toe injury to compromise anything else.” The Blue Jays seem to be fairly confident that Springer will be ready to return once he is eligible.
Husky fans might remember Springer’s gutsy play during the last year’s World Series as he played through “significant inflammation” in his right oblique.
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