Adama Sanogo, UConn’s leading scorer and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, declared for the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Sanogo is ranked 87th — No. 9 center — in ESPN’s updated draft rankings.
But he had a monster tournament, averaging 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in leading UConn to the national championship. For the season, he averaged 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
“I am so excited for the next stop on my journey and proud to announce that I will declare for the 2023 NBA draft and will stay focused on the process and giving myself every chance to hear my name called,” Sanogo posted to his Instagram page. “I will always cherish my time at UConn and will always be my home away from home.”
The 6-foot-9 forward leaves UConn averaging 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 91 career games (87 starts). He shot 56.0 percent from the floor for his career, including 35.8 percent from the 3-point line. He had attempted just one 3-pointer entering the 2022-23 season but completed 19 of 52 attempts this season.
It’s not clear if he’ll maintain his eligibility by holding off on hiring an agent, but ESPN reported Sanogo is leaning toward remaining in the draft.
Also, it was reported Thursday that Huskies guard Nahiem Alleyne entered the transfer portal. Alleyne averaged 5.2 points in 39 games (eight starts) this season, his first at UConn.
Alleyne played his first three seasons at Virginia Tech, where he averaged 9.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 90 games (84 starts).
–Field Level Media
