We know Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft and will join the Dallas Wings. But where are two of her teammates headed?
Caroline Ducharme, whose UConn career was hampered by injuries, is getting a chance to impress a WNBA staff.
On Wednesday, she signed a training camp roster deal with the Golden State Valkyries. She went undrafted in the WNBA draft on Monday night.
Her teammate and longtime friend, Azzi Fudd, was the No. 1 overall selection by the Dallas Wings. Fellow senior Serah Williams was selected with the No. 33 pick by the Connecticut Sun and subsequently traded later Monday night to the expansion Portland Fire.
The Valkyries also signed fellow guards Bailey Maupin (Texas Tech) and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (Vanderbilt) to training camp contracts.
“We’re so excited to be able to add Bailey, Caroline and Ndjakalenga to our training camp roster,” said Ohemaa Nyanin, the Valkyries general manager. “Each of these players have shown a high level of competitiveness, and a winning mentality, and a desire to improve. Excited to have them join us here in the Bay for training camp.”
Ducharme, a Massachusetts native, arrived at UConn already as an accomplished player. She was ranked as the No. 5-ranked player in the 2021 class, and that year, she earned McDonald's, WBCA and SLAM High School All-American honors. She was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020 and '21.
She had a strong freshman season in Storrs, playing in 31 games (11 starts) and averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She achieved almost all of her career highs as a freshman, including scoring 28 points against St. John’s.
Ducharme suffered a head injury in February of her freshman season, and a concussion as a sophomore limited her to 23 games. In the following two seasons, she appeared in only 13 total games as she battled neck spasms, returning for the 2025-26 season.
In her redshirt senior campaign, Ducharme played in 25 games (one start on Senior Day) and averaged 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds and 7.5 minutes as she eased back into play.
For her career, Ducharme played in 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 92 games (21 starts). She was part of national championship team in 2025.
Azzi’s big arrival
Fudd, who has known Ducharme since their days in youth travel basketball, arrived in Dallas Wednesday night to fanfare and balloons. Lots of them.
Check out the photos of her welcome to the Wings.
In case you missed it
Earlier this week, former UConn forward Ayanna Patterson committed to Kentucky, according to On3.
Like Ducharme, her four years spent at UConn were marred by injuries.
As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, she appeared in 27 games and averaged 9.6 minutes, 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds. But she missed the next two seasons as she rehabbed a shoulder injury and patella tendinitis, giving her two remaining years of eligibility.
Named the 2022 Indiana Miss Basketball, Patterson was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and a 2022 McDonald's, Jordan Brand and SLAM All-American.
She returned for her second season at UConn in 2025-26, playing in 28 games (one start) and averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per game.
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