Love, Abby: UConn Huskies' forever bond with one magical fan [View all]

[Simeon Salus]

Sam Borden, ESPN, this morning:

"Even though UConn players are royalty in Connecticut -- Bueckers is arguably the most famous athlete in the state -- there was little fanfare. The bat mitzvah girl, Abby Zittoun, ran up to them with happiness and hugs, but also apologetically informed them she had to keep bouncing around so she could spend time with aunts and uncles and cousins and classmates and her other friends who had come that night, too.

"The players nodded enthusiastically. They understood. This wasn't an appearance or community event. There were no coaches present, no administrators from the UConn athletic department. There was no PR person or team photographer telling them they should play with the kids now. They were, like everyone else, simply there to celebrate someone special. They were guests. (Really, really tall guests.)

"So, they played cornhole. They ate tacos. They barraged the photo booth and filled their Instagram stories. They cheered during musical chairs and the scavenger hunt. Azzi Fudd sat at a table with the grandparents and heard old family stories. When the DJ played the "Cha Cha Slide," Bueckers hopped into the middle of a group stomping and kicking and laughing and shrieking. The "Cupid Shuffle" brought even bigger shouts. Abby's mom, Gwen, whirled and spun. Even Caroline Ducharme, famously averse to dancing, joined in. You could hear Abby's giggles in the parking lot.

"No one talked about UConn's brutal loss in the Final Four a week earlier. No one talked about the upcoming season or injury rehabs or pains from the past or challenges that might still be in front of them. For the players, for the Zittouns, for everyone at the party, it was that rarest of gifts: a night of joy, of glee, of bliss. A night when the delight of the moment is so pure that, just for a split second, it covers over everything else that makes life hard.

"We were there," Bueckers says, "for Abby."

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/43797060/uconn-women-basketball-paige-bueckers-azzi-fudd-caroline-ducharme-friendship-abby-zittoun