The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Huskies land big man
Forward picks UConn over Nebraska and Seton Hall
A couple of weeks ago, Adama Sanogo told his high school coach that he was planning to commit to Seton Hall.
But the 6-foot-9, 241-pound forward out of New Jersey didn’t want to announce it yet, and wanted to listen to the other coaches that were recruiting him.
Apparently, he liked what he heard from Dan Hurley and his coaching staff.
Sanogo, who played last season at The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J., committed to UConn on Tuesday. The news was first reported by 247Sports.
“I picked UConn because I love UConn, I think it’s a good school,” Sanogo said by phone on Tuesday afternoon. “Basketball-wise, I picked it because they do a good job with big men. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
Sanogo’s decision came down to UConn, Nebraska and Seton Hall, his hometown school.
“I did my own research and I saw that UConn would be the best fit,” he said. “I picked UConn because I think I can do something special there.”
“I do like Seton Hall, I’m not gonna lie,” he added. “But I think UConn was a better spot.”
Chris Chavannes, head coach at The Patrick School, marveled at the recruiting job of Hurley and his staff over the past couple of weeks.
“I was surprised when he called me the other night and told me, ‘Coach, I really think UConn is the place for me.’ He was looking for a place where he felt he could get to the NBA on a very quick pace. He felt that UConn was better than Seton
Hall (for that). He felt he had a better situation to get to the league as quickly as possible.”
Sanogo is the fourth and final new addition to Hurley’s team for next season, joining dynamic, four-star wing Andre Jackson; raw, 7-1 center Javonte BrownFerguson; and 6-6 guard Tyrese Martin, a transfer from Rhode Island who may have to sit out the season.
“Great kid, literally,” said Andy Borman, executive director of the New York Rens AAU program, for which Sanogo played the past two years. “Hardworking, very coachable. A really advanced rebounder — like, big-time rebounder. Inside of five feet, very skilled offensively. He can finish with both hands, go up and punch it on guys, go around them. And he’s spent the last eight months trying to grow his game away from being just a traditional, back-to-thebasket big.”
Sanogo helped lead the Rens’ 15U team to a trip to the Nike Peach Jam championship game two years ago. Last year, he played up with the 17U team. A native of Mali, where his family still lives, Sanogo is caught up on his core credits and won’t have to take any standardized tests this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UConn has been searching for a power forwardtype who is immediately eligible to play next season, and Sanogo fits that bill perfectly. The Huskies have been involved with several other talented bigs from the New Jersey area, but the feeling among many was that Sanogo was the most talented, with the most potential, of the bunch.
“His goal is to be able to do what he’s good at, which is dominate the rim, and also make sure that he can do everything that a modern-day forward can do,” Borman contiued. “That’s gonna be a big part of his growth. You can play him with another big and make them interchangeable. But at the same time, he’s also the type of kid that, 80 percent of the time, he’s gonna be ‘the big.’”
Sanogo teamed with Kentucky-bound Lance Ware, a 6-8 power forward, to give the Rens a dominating front line last season. At UConn, he’ll compete with veterans Isaiah Whaley, Josh Carlton and Akok Akok, as well as newcomers Brown-Ferguson and Richie Springs (a redshirt freshman) for minutes up front.
“The thing with Hurley, you’re gonna earn it, anyway,” Borman noted. “There are some coaches where things are given. But with (Hurley), it’s gonna be earned, no matter what.”
Sanogo has never visited UConn’s campus, instead making virtual visits in recent weeks due to the coronavirus. He did see the Huskies face Indiana at Madison Square Garden in December. Hurley visited him at The Patrick School a while back, and made a good impression on the big man.
“He’s a good dude, he’s funny,” Sanogo said. “He came to watch our practice and told me, ‘We need you.’ He didn’t put any pressure on me.”
Chavannes noted that R.J. Cole, a New Jersey product who sat out this past season at UConn after transferring from Howard, has been frequently in contact with Sanogo over the past few weeks.
Sanogo grew up playing soccer in Mali and didn’t start playing basketball until six years ago. He averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this past season.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a kid and he’s got a lot of things to work on,” Borman said, “but I think the major thing he’s got to work on is to be able to play at the same clip and the same motor and effectiveness, and stay out of foul trouble. He will pick up a couple of cheap ones.”
Chavannes added that Sanogo needs to get into even better shape to dominate at the next level, and feels that won’t be a problem at UConn.
“Danny is a tough coach, and Adama can and will embrace that,” Chavannes said.
“He’s not a project when it comes to motor, or when it comes to rebounding, rim-protecting and finishing,” added Borman. “Inside of five feet, he is a monster.”