Adama Sanogo: Everything you need to know about 2023 NCAA men’s basketball Most Outstanding star
Find out more about the 21-year-old junior from Mali who led UConn to NCAA glory and took home March Madness' top honours despite only taking up basketball in 2014.
Basketball
Adama Sanogo was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player after leading the University of Connecticut Huskies to their fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday (3 April).
The 21-year-old, 2.06m (6’9”) Malian put up 17 points and 10 rebounds in UConn’s 76-59 win over San Diego State as the Huskies overwhelmed their opposition to clinch the collegiate tournament crown.
UConn's first title win in nine years will live long in the memory with centre Sanogo following Shabazz Napier, Kemba Walker, Emeka Okafor and Richard Hamilton who all won the MOP award in previous triumphs.
While Okafor's NBA career failed to reach the heights promised when he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2005, Walker and Hamilton both enjoyed long major league careers and made multiple All-Star Game appearances.
Sanago will be looking to emulate his predecessors, but what about his story up till now? Here’s what you need to know.
Where is Adama Sanogo from?
Born on 12 February 2002, in Bamako, Mali, to Cheickne Sanogo and Awa Traore, Sanogo is one of six children with four sisters and one brother.
According to CTInsider, his father runs a car-washing business while his mother has a clothing store.
Growing up, Sanogo did not play basketball preferring instead to play football.
As he grew taller, his friends suggested he try basketball. But it wasn’t until his uncle Tidiane Drame, a basketball scout who hosted camps in the country, convinced him to practise hoops that the youngster considered changing sports.
The young Malian became intrigued by Drame's descriptions of life in the United States as a basketball player but, at the time, his plan was to attend university in France.
"I never thought I would become a college basketball player,” Sanogo told the New York Post. “I was only thinking about studying in France because my friends were there."
In 2015, just one year after switching to basketball and without any command of English, Sanogo moved across the Atlantic to attend high school at Our Savior New American on Long Island before transferring to The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey.
He averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his final year in high school with his power and rebounding prowess attracting a host of admirers.
With offers from Seton Hall, Maryland and Nebraska also on the table ahead of the 2020-21 season, Sanogo decided to commit to the UConn Huskies and took their final open scholarship slot.
Adama Sanogo: Basketball star leading by example
Sanogo’s dominant run this March earning him MOP honours is perhaps even more impressive given the personal lengths he went to transform the Huskies’ fortunes.
In 2022, with Sanogo on the team, UConn crashed out of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament in the first round marking the second straight season the team had made an early exit.
After the bruising loss, coach Dan Hurley promised Sanogo, Andre Jackson Jr and Jordan Hawkins that they would form the core of next year’s roster.
Understanding the vision and his role within the team, Sanogo got to work.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Huskies freshman Alex Karaban explained how the Malian hustled to improve his game, ultimately forging a reputation as a diligent basketball student ready and willing to graft.
From putting up 500 jump shots a day in the summer to working out on the bike, Sanogo's work ethic rubbed off on his team-mates.
“He’s the hardest-working player,” Karaban said. “I know in a couple days he’s going to be back in the gym [shooting].”
Sanogo's hard work not only inspired the players around him, it also helped make him a greater threat on the court.
His shooting, previously something on a weakness, became an asset and made UConn a much tougher team to defend. It paid dividends in their first Final Four match against Miami, with Sanogo scoring 21 points, and in the final against San Diego State where he recorded his fourth double-double of the tournament.
Adama Sanogo: 2022-23 season stats
Will Adama Sanogo be in the 2023 NBA Draft?
With the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships now over, questions are already being asked as to whether Sanogo has what it takes to play in the NBA.
In his three seasons at UConn, the 'big man' centre/forward has shown his capacity to evolve quickly over time making him an attractive potential prospect.
For Sanogo, nothing yet is set. He reportedly said after the game there are conversations he would like to have first before outlining his future steps: “I’m about to talk to my coaches and my family, and I will go from there,” Sanogo confirmed.
As a junior, Sanogo still has two seasons of eligibility meaning he could well return to school and try for the NBA another time.
If he decides to forgo this year's draft, he would be setting himself apart from his UConn MOP predecessors Napier, Walker, Okafor and Hamilton, who were all drafted after winning the tournament.