The Azzi Fudd Blog: Back on the court, well wishes from Kobe Bryant and more

Reigning ALL-USA Player of the Year Azzi Fudd blogs about working her way back from torn ACL, getting well wishes from Kobe Bryant, Thanksgiving and more.

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St. John’s College High School (Washington, D.C.) junior shooting guard Azzi Fudd is the No. 1 player in the ESPN HoopGurlz 100 and is the reigning ALL-USA Player of the Year. Fudd led the Cadets to the GEICO Nationals title game this season and is being pursued by nearly every high major college in the country. Now Fudd, who is currently working her way back from a torn ACL and MCL, has agreed to give USA TODAY exclusive access into her world by chronicling everything from his recruitment to his everyday life in a blog.

What’s up world, Azzi here, it’s been a few months, but I want to update you guys on what’s been going on.

RELATED: Azzi Fudd is the ALL-USA Player of the Year

Right now, I’m about five and a half months out of surgery and I’ve started practicing a little bit with my team. I don’t have a set return date, and I’m not rushing the process at all. I don’t know if I’m going to play this year or anything like that.

It’s all to be determined.

My first few practices back were really, really hard because biking and being on the elliptical are so much different than getting up and down the court. That was rough, but just being out there with my teammates made it all better because I’ve missed it so much!

I wake up every morning at 5 a.m. to go to physical therapy.

After that I go to school and later I have team workouts so there are days where I’m really tired and days where I go harder than other days so I have to just be careful with how my body reacts every day.

What makes it easier is having the support of my family; my younger brothers come to the gym and rebound for me when I need to get shots up and my parents help with whatever I need.

RELATED: Azzi Fudd leads St. John’s to the GEICO Nationals title game

That’s made this whole process so much better!

I’ve had a lot of coaches call and text me just checking in and encouraging me throughout the process so that’s been cool too.

I’m fortunate to be able to build a lot of cool relationships with people I look up to so before I went in to surgery Natasha Cloud, Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Tolliver all wished me well with my surgery. Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant wished me well too, so that was cool!

OK, so I’ve got to tell you guys that junior year is really hard in the classroom!

Haha, I’m making it, but the workload is tremendous! It feels like there’s so much work and not enough time.

I’ve worked really hard and right now I have all A’s and a few B’s so I’m proud of that.

I think my favorite class right now is Pre-Calculus. It’s hard, but it’s one of those things where if you get it, you’re good.

I’m really ready for Thanksgiving too.

A lot of people like to look past Thanksgiving for Christmas, but I love Thanksgiving too.

At my house we have a few Thanksgiving dinners; we’ll go to a family member’s house one day and then the next day we’ll have dinner at my house.

Of course, Black Friday shopping is fun too, so I’m looking forward to all of that!

OK, guys thanks again for reading but I have to go finish up this Pre-Cal homework.

I’ll be back soon with another update soon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Don’t forget to follow Azzi Fudd:

Twitter: @azzi_35

Instagram: azzi35

The Sharman White Blog: Court named in his honor, shot clock and more

Pace Academy boys basketball coach Sharman White blogs about having his former HS Miller Grove naming its court after him and lots more.

Sharman White is a legendary high school basketball coach in Georgia who has won seven state titles. Currently the head boys’ basketball coach at Pace Academy (Atlanta) after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Georgia State, White was named ALL-USA Coach of the Year in 2014 and National High School Association Coach of the Year in 2016. Now he’s agreed to give USA Today Sports exclusive access into his world by chronicling everything from intimate details about his team to his methods to his everyday life in a monthly blog. 

AN HONOR LIKE NO OTHER

Happy hoops season to everyone!

Basketball at every level has kicked off and for us purists, there couldn’t be more excitement. For coaches, players and parents alike comes all of the excitement and anxiety associated with an orange round leather object. For coaches, it’s all about preparation and attention to detail.

For players, it’s about showing what you have done in the off-season to prepare for these moments that will dictate the ups and downs of the season itself. For parents, it’s the anxiety of every game, every play and every moment that will become a part of memories for their children.

We opened up the season on the road facing a familiar opponent in Miller Grove.

For me, it was nostalgic because of all the memories that I was fortunate to be a part of at ‘The Grove,’ winning numerous championships, mentoring young people and working with great colleagues made for a special period of time in my life. On this game night, I was bestowed an honor like no other.

The basketball court at Miller Grove was named in my honor. This was an amazing and truly humbling experience. To be able to see my signature placed on the court and to share with my family, former players, former colleagues, friends and current players was special and made for a night I will never forget. I could only imagine my recently deceased older brother (Nate) being ecstatic for me about this honor as he was my biggest fan and never missed a game at Miller Grove.

Love you and miss you Big Bro!

I have always said and will hold true to the notion that the success we experienced at ‘The Grove’ was a credit to the players, coaches, parents and community that make up the people of Miller Grove. A special place that will always hold a special place in my heart…#BLEEDPURPLE

We were fortunate to get the victory in that game versus a talented and well-coached group from Miller Grove. I was proud of how our players performed under the circumstances of that night. On the following Saturday, we participated in the Hawks Naismith Tip-Off Event which we were fortunate to be the host of.

This event was filled with top teams and players from around the state. The event also marked the debut of the 30-second shot clock in Georgia basketball. The response all around from the use of the shot clock was overwhelmingly positive and welcomed in Georgia high school basketball. Hopefully, it becomes more than an experiment in the near future. We played #1-ranked class AAAA Woodward Academy in the finale in front of a packed house at Pace that included college head coaches (Roy Williams-UNC, Leonard Hamilton-FSU, Tom Crean-UGA, Amir Abdur-Rahim-KSU) where we fell short 56-52 in an epic early season match-up.

Would have like to have had a better result at the end of the week, but I can truly say that this week was a week like no other and for that reason, I was grateful to be able to enjoy it.

That leads me to the time of the year where being thankful supersedes the problems of the world: Happy Thanksgiving!

White’s Message: “Once you know it’s possible, it becomes your ‘new’ normal.” #ItsLevelsToIt

 Don’t forget to follow Coach Sharman White on Twitter: @CoachSWhite

The Isaiah Jackson Blog: This is why I chose Kentucky…

Kentucky’s newest commit Isaiah Jackson did an exclusive blog with USA Today Sports breaking down why he chose the Wildcats.

Waterford Mott (Waterford Township, Michigan) forward Isaiah Jackson is ranked No. 22 overall in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25 for 2020 and just committed to Kentucky. He did an exclusive blog with USA Today Sports about the reasons behind his decision.

What’s up world, it’s Isaiah Jackson and as you can see I just committed to the University of Kentucky!

This was a dream come true for me.

RELATED: 17 Super 25 teams featured in GEICO ESPN Showcase

Once Coach Cal started recruiting me I feel like my passion for Kentucky just grew even more. Don’t get me wrong, it was a hard decision because all three of the schools recruiting me did a great job, but my heart was just with Kentucky.

I think the moment where it turned for Kentucky was after my visit to Alabama.

That’s when I sat down with my family and really talked about it and it was clear that I was going there. I just feel like it gives me the best chance to get better and the best chance to win.

The class we’re bringing in is gonna be crazy with myself, BJ, Terrence, Cam, Lance and Devin. I just feel like we have the right pieces to win a national title.

That’s what we all expect and we’re all already talking about it.

PRESEASON BASKETBALL COVERAGE:

Super 25 Boys Rankings | ALL-USA Boys | ALL-USA Girls

We’re not done either. I don’t know who I’ll go after right now, but I’m definitely gonna be recruiting guys hard to come to Kentucky.

The coaches at Kentucky are comparing me to Anthony Davis, just a guy who blocks shots, runs the floor, plays the pick-and-roll and shots the J. Obviously, Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the world so that’s big for me to hear, but it just motivates me to work harder.

When I told Coach Cal about my decision I could tell that he was really happy and excited; that made me even more excited.

I’m planning to sign my NLI today too so I’m gonna have it all over with and that’s a great feeling too.

Now, I can just focus on my season and my books.

Tonight I’ll probably go out to eat with my family to celebrate.

OK, guys I just wanted to explain my decision for you a little more in-depth, but I have to get going now.

Thanks again for reading and GO BBN!

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The Bryce Thompson Blog: This is why I chose Kansas…

Elite scoring guard Bryce Thompson did an exclusive blog breaking down the reasons behind his big decision.

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Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) combo guard Bryce Thompson picked Kansas over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina.

Thompson, five-star prospect led the Under Armour Association in scoring this past summer and gives the Jayhawks their third commit from the 2020 class.

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY