Final 4 Scouting Report: UConn's Adama Sanogo
Two days out from the men’s NCAA Final Four, the Miami Hurricanes will battle against one of the best big men when the Connecticut Huskies Adama Sanogo steps on the NRG Stadium basketball court.
Here’s a look at what has enabled him, as well as UConn overall, to be such a dominant team during the NCAA Tournament. As a starting point, his background in getting to UConn.
The 6-foot-9 and 245-pound forward came to UConn as the No. 85 recruit in the country according to the 247 Sports recruiting composite. He’s originally from Mali (Mali), but attended Hillside (N.J.) The Patrick School.
Steady Offensive Improvement: He went from scoring 169 points in 2020-2021, to 428 in 2021-2022, and 633 so far for 2022-2023.
Scoring Trends: Sanogo went for 20 or more points 11 times this season, including 28 versus Iona in the first round and 24 versus St. Mary’s in the second round.
Best Offensive Attributes: Sanogo has been consistently active moving towards the hoop. Pick-and-roll, down screening and then immediately cutting to the bucket, utilizing quick, yet patient, feet to go up-and-under for a reverse layup against a shot blocker, and utilizing right-handed or left-handed shots in the lane.
Post Moves: As UConn's leading scorer, he's been excellent at sealing off his defender and providing an over-the-top passing opportunity for a teammate. Sanogo had several dunks and layups off of this post move. Miami will probably be better off playing behind him for much of the game (albeit not always).
Adama Sanogo is living a storybook life!
— Kicks (@kicks) March 29, 2023
Sanogo moved to the U.S. from Mali as a teen with hopes to one-day play professional basketball.
Since arriving at UConn three years ago, he has played in 86 games and has never shot lower than 50% from the field.
The wild thing...… pic.twitter.com/0ZOjsmlYOh
When he seals a defender behind him, Sanogo still looks to get closer to the hoop; he’s proven to be more comfortable heading towards the basket than shooting a turnaround jumper with a big man in his face. That said, he’s capable of doing that as well.
Best Post Move: Head fake and spin – while keeping his pivot foot – to get the defender off balance and then select from a variety of shot options. He has shown a quick push shot in the lane or he has leaned towards the backboard just out of the lane and hitting a bank shot.
Away From The Basket: On occasion, Sanogo will shoot from behind the 3-point arc. The Hurricanes had better be careful with the secondary break because that’s when he will be most likely to take a shot from the top of the key. He's also more than happy to hit an elbow jumper or a shot near the foul line.
Athleticism: Tremendous hands should be the first point to consider with Sanogo’s game, offensively or defensively. He’s very active and will catch a pass that many big men simply do not grab at all, let alone easily like he does.
He’s not a tremendous leaper like players from the past such as Shawn Kemp or Chris Webber, or from the modern era like Zion Williamson or the Greek Freak, but Sanogo has been timely and powerful when going up for shots and rebounds. He’s also skilled at setting his post moves with quick feet.
Defensive Ability: He has blocked 29 shots this season, down from 55 last season. Still, Sanogo’s insight into when and where to go for blocks, or when to lay back and play good defense with a hand in the shooter’s face, make him a quality player on the defensive end of the court.
He’s not going to just physically dominate the defensive end, but he will be a player the Canes must contend with in the Final Four semifinal because he’s not going to give up easy baskets to Miami forward Norchad Omier and cutters heading to the hoop.
Adama Sanogo’s Season Averages
Points
: 17.1
FG
: 60.2%
3-Point Shooting
: 34.7%
Free Throws
: 77.6%
Rebounds
: 7.5
Assists
: 1.3
Blocks
: 0.8
Steals
: 0.7
How Miami head coach and his coaching attempt to take away Sanogo's scoring ability will be interesting. As one of the most unique big men in the college game, it will be a challenge for the Canes.
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