#208 Andrea Hudy // Director of Sports Performance for UConn Women's Basketball

On episode 208 I am delighted to be joined by world renowned coach and Director of Sports Performance for UConn Women’s Basketball, Andrea Hudy otherwise known as Coach Hudy. Hudy holds an MBA, PhD and has contributed to 10 national championships during her career as a strength coach. A proud UConn alumna, she earned her master’s degree in sport biomechanics in 1999 and previously served the Huskies from 1995 to 2004, contributing to three programs that secured eight NCAA Championships.She she spent 15 years at the University of Kansas, and was instrumental in the men’s basketball program’s 2008 NCAA Championship and its NCAA-record 14 consecutive regular-season conference titles. In 2021, she played a pivotal role in helping Texas Men’s Basketball win its first-ever Big 12 Tournament Championship. She returned to Uconn and contributed to their 12th national title in 2025. Hudy has trained and mentored more than 100 athletes who have advanced to the NBA or WNBA. She has worked under three Hall of Fame coaches and collaborated with some of the world’s leading researchers. In 2025, she earned her PhD, specializing in longitudinal monitoring in elite women’s basketball, with a focus on cumulative workload, recovery dynamics and athlete resilience across multiple competitive seasons.Coach Hudy and I connected thanks to Donnie Maib who I met in Austin and recorded this episode in person from her office at the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center. Note this was recorded in November on campus in Storrs Connecticut. We discuss coaching, elite performers, her research, chaos, balance, UCONN, learning, mental toughness and more.One of the most impromptu podcasts I have recorded however full of valuable insights and lessons from one of the best coaches in the world. Hudy thanks for your time and look forward to catching a hurling game with you in Cork soon. Follow Coach Hudy here Instagram · a_hudy26.8K+ followersAndrea Hudy (@a_hudy)Read her research here Sportsmithhttps://www.sportsmith.coAndrea HudyFollow The Sideline Live Social Media channels and the host Orla here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/TheSidelineLive⁠Recorded using Samson Q2 microphone, Edited using GarageBandIntro music, Watered Eyes by a talented Irish artist, Dillon Ward check him out ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ . If you are looking to set up your own podcast get in touch with the Prymal Productions team ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.prymal.ie⁠⁠⁠⁠