By Anthony Price 

​Up close after a basketball game, Azzi Fudd’s dark, expressive eyes and toothy smile connect in an aw-shucks, I-can’t-believe-I-did-that way. Her round cheeks, with companion dimples, are welcoming. 
 
She lets you into her world—even if it’s only 15 seconds to sign an autograph or give a fan a high-five. It looks genuine from afar. The rapture works every time. She connects when posing for selfies with young fans, leaving them mesmerized. 

Anthony Price 

​When former NFL star Ahmad Rashad introduced Spencer Haywood, the audience applauded politely.
 
It was a Friday evening, September 11, 2015. Savoring his moment, Haywood, who was dressed in a blue suit with a white pocket square, strolled through the crowd and up the six steps to the stage of the Springfield Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. Soaking in the smiles like sunlight and exchanging fist bumps, those were the slowest steps his long legs ever walked. 

By Anthony Price 

​On Monday night, No. 4 UConn beat the University of New Haven, 79-55, to the elation of over 10,000 fans at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. 
 
Last season, Coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies lost to Florida, 77-75, in the second round of the NCAA tournament, ending a 13-game tournament streak—and resulting in a man-made river of tears in the locker room.

By Anthony Price 

For the UConn women’s basketball program, it was business as usual. 
 
A UConn home game is a spectacle, like the Colosseum in Rome—a battle against the odds. They have a multimillion-dollar coaching staff (two former Huskies), a marching band, Jonathan the Husky, an army of workers on the payroll, and a fan base across the country who watch on television. 

By Anthony Price 

​It’s noon in October at Yale University, and the bright colored leaves and warm sunlight complement the Payne Whitney Gymnasium architecture: It’s depicting New England better than any tourism brochure could. 
 
The gymnasium is a massive structure with over twelve acres of space inside. Yet, it is disguised in plain sight. It’s a paradox. 

By Anthony Price 

​NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird once said, “Once you are labeled the best, you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around. If I don't keep changing, I'm history.” 
 
Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant must have taken those words to heart. For two decades, they’ve rewritten not only their own games but the game itself—stacking up ten championships between them and reshaping how basketball is played and watched. 

By Anthony Price 

​When the dust cleared in April 2025, the UConn women’s basketball program ended a Dust Bowl-like drought—they won their first championship in nine years, beating rival South Carolina, 82-59. 
 
UConn was back at the top of college basketball, holding its 12th national title—to the annoyance of the programs chasing the Huskies. 

By Anthony Price 

​Saint Thomas More (STM), a college-preparatory boarding school tucked away in the small village of Oakdale, Connecticut, enrolls just 180 students from 26 countries. Yet, from this modest campus, one of New England’s premier basketball programs has emerged, producing Division 1 talent that has gone on to win NCAA championships.
 
The results speak for themselves. More than 660 former STM players have advanced to college basketball, with over 100 continuing their careers professionally overseas.

By Anthony Price 

​When Breanna Stewart returned to the court, fans exploded at the Barclays Center. The New York Liberty star—affectionately called “Stewie—was back after missing 13 games with a knee injury, and the energy in the arena felt like the greatest show not on Broadway.
 
The timing couldn’t have been better. Without their 6’-4” superstar, the Liberty stumbled to a 5–8 record, sliding from second place to fifth at 22-15. With her, they’re a contender again, and their sights are set firmly on defending their title. 

By Anthony Price 

Summary: UConn begins new direct-payments era with "Open Practices" 

The old college sports model is dead.

For decades, universities hid behind the label of “student-athletes,” offering partial or full scholarships in exchange for grueling hours of labor on the field and in the classroom. Players were expected to compete “for the love of the game”, while schools and the NCAA raked in billions.