Gregory Shamus/Getty UConn forward Adamo Sanogo.
Adama Sanogo is a forward for the UConn Huskies. Sanogo was born in Mali and attended high school in New Jersey and New York. Sanogo has been a key player during UConn’s run to the Final Four and the national title matchup with San Diego State.
Here’s what you need to know about Adama Sanogo:
1. Where Was Adama Sanogo Born?
Gregory Shamus/GettyAdama Sanogo and UConn coach Dan Hurley.
Adama Sanogo was born in in Bamako, Mali, according to his biography on the UConn Huskies website. Sanogo’s family still lives in Mali, according to the bio. Bamako is the capital of Mali, which is located in West Africa.
Sanogo told the New York Post in April 2023, “I’ll be in my room thinking, ‘Damn, what if I went to France, what if I didn’t come to the United States.’ That showed me, don’t just say no to everything. I can’t believe it. I almost didn’t want to come here. I’m playing on a big stage like this, it’s something I’ll appreciate for the rest of my life. … I thank God I came to the United States because if I hadn’t made that decision I wouldn’t be in the position that I am today.”
2. How Old Is Adama Sanogo
Adama Sanogo is 21. Sanogo was born February 12, 2002, according to the UConn website. Sanogo was 15 when he moved from Mali to the United States, according to CTInsider. He didn’t speak English and came alone.
Sanogo said he hopes to be able to give back to his home country through his basketball career, telling CTInsider in 2021, “Something I would like to do for my country, open a hospital so I can help kids. That is something pushing me to be pro one day.”
He added, “Where I’m from, you have to be tough, you know? What we do in Mali, most of the people who are from [the U.S.], they cannot go through what we went through.”
3. Where Did Adama Sanogo Go to High School?
Adama Sanogo attended Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York, and then transferred to The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey, according to the UConn website. He finished his high school career in 2020.
Sanogo, “Originally from Mali, grew up playing soccer until starting to play basketball in 2014,” according to the UConn website. He also played AAU basketball for the New York Rens, according to his bio on the Huskies website.
4. Who Is Adama Sanogo’s Mother?
Adama Sanogo’s mother is Awa Traore, according to the UConn website. Sanogo’s mother owns a clothing store in Bamako, according to CTInsider.
5. Who Is Adama Sanogo’s Father?
Adama Sanogo’s father is Cheickne Sanogo, according to the UConn website. Cheickne Sanogo runs a car wash business in Mali, according to CTInsider. Adama Sanogo told CTInsider in 2021 that his father was operating five car wash locations, but one was closed down by the government. Sanogo spent his younger years working for his father and also helped out with the corn crop at his grandfather’s farm, according to CTInsider.
Sanogo told the newspaper his parents decided he should move to the U.S. when the government stepped in to close one of his car washes. “They came and said you cannot wash cars here anymore. They don’t want the road to look bad or dirty or something. So they were like, ‘I don’t want you to be here anymore.’ That was 2019.”
6. Does Adama Sanogo Have Any Siblings?
Carmen Mandato/Getty Adama Sanogo.
Adama Sanogo has five older sisters and a younger brother, according to his biography on the Huskies website. One of Sanogo’s sisters is studying in France and his younger brother also played basketball and is now studying in Italy, according to CTInsider.
7. How Tall Is Adama Sanogo?
Adama Sanogo is 6’9″ tall, according to the UConn website. He weighs 245 pounds, his bio on the Huskies website says.
8. How Many Languages Does Adama Sanogo Speak?
Adama Sanogo speaks four languages, including French, Arabic, Bambara (the native language of Mali) and English, according to the UConn website. He learned English after moving to the United States when he was 15, according to the New York Post.
He told CTInsider, that he always “wanted to go to France, just to study. For us, in Mali, to go to France, that’s big time. If I can go to France, I’m not going to America. Because I don’t speak English. I only speak French. My uncle said, ‘He’s tall. I think he should [go] to America, study and play basketball.”
9. Will Adama Sanogo Be Drafted & Go to the NBA?
Adama Sanogo is projected as a possible second-round pick in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft, according to NBA Draft Room.
According to The Athletic, “One of the most productive players in college basketball this past season, Sanogo has helped his potential NBA outlook but hasn’t quite emerged into a top prospect. … Sanogo is probably a bit more likely to end up overseas than in the NBA, but he’s improved enough in important areas that he shouldn’t be ruled out and is a candidate for a two-way contract as an undersized center.”
10. What Are Adama Sanogo’s Career Stats at UConn?
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Adama Sanogo cuts down the nets after UConn reached the Final Four with a win over Gonzaga in Las Vegas in March 2023.
Adama Sanogo has scored 1,202 points, has 636 rebounds and 106 blocks in his UConn career, according to the Huskies website.
In 2022-2023, Sanogo is averaging 17.8 points per game, which is up from 14.8 points per game in 2021-2022. He is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game in 2022-2023. Sanogo has played in 86 games with the Huskies.
11. Did Adama Sanogo Almost Go to Seton Hall?
Adamo Sanogo picked UConn over Seton Hall, according to The UConn Blog. He said in 2020, “I picked UConn because I love UConn. I did my homework and it was the best fit for me.”
Sanogo’s high school coach, Chris Chavannes, told The UConn Blog he expected him to go to Seton Hall before Dan Hurley, a Seton Hall grad and New Jersey native, swooped in, “I think Danny and his staff really did a great job closing on him. I was surprised when he called me the other night and said ‘Hey coach, I really think UConn is the best place for me.'”
12. What Year Is Adama Sanogo at UConn?
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Adama Sanogo.
Adamo Sanogo is in his junior year with the UConn Huskies. It is his third season with UConn and he has two years of eligibility left because of the NCAA’s pandemic rules.
13. Why Is Adama Sanogo Fasting During the NCAA Basketball Tournament?
Adama Sanogo is fasting during the NCAA tournament, including the Final Four, because he is observing Ramadan as part of his Muslim faith. Sanogo and two teammates, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson, have only been eating and drinking before sunrise and after sunset.
He told ESPN, “It’s definitely hard because, like you say, it’s my faith and this is something I didn’t start doing this year. I’ve been doing this since I was in high school. I used to do it during AAU. It’s something I’ve been doing since I was little. I just have to do it.”
Sanogo added that he was inspired by Hakeem Olajuwon, who fasted in the 1990s while playing in the NCAA tournament with the University of Houston, telling ESPN, “That’s one of the reasons I’m doing it. If he did it, why can’t I do it? I was thinking about not doing it — should I do it during the tournament or wait until after the tournament — he’s one of the reasons I did it.”
Sanogo told CBS Sports, “From (sundown) to like 5 a.m. the next morning, I eat a lot of food with protein. My strength coach, he makes sure I drink a lot, I hydrate — and hydrate a lot. For example, I wake up at five, drink a lot of water to make sure during that day I stay hydrated. That’s what we’re doing right now, wake up at 5 a.m., drink a lot of coconut water to make sure I stay hydrated during the day.”
Sanogo’s coach, Dan Hurley, added, “”For me as a coach, navigating it was more like panic,” Hurley said. “And I don’t know much about diet and nutrition and human performance. But we’ve got a great strength coach and athletic training that have been able to get up with him early and get some food in him. And then obviously the late tip time helps us more. It was a bigger challenge out west because we were playing so early, and it was like really in the middle of him probably being at his weakest in terms of those things.”
14. How Many Points Has Adama Sanogo Scored During the NCAA Tournament?
Adama Sanogo has 101 points during his five games in the NCAA tournament, leading up to the Huskies matchup with San Diego State in the title game.
Sanogo scored 28 points in the first round against Iona, 24 points in the second round against Saint Mary’s, 18 points against Arkansas in the Sweet 16, 10 points against Gonzaga in the Elite 8 and 21 points against Miami in the Final 4.
15. Is Adama Sanago on Instagram?
Adama Sanogo is on Instagram but only has two posts.
Sanogo isn’t very active on social media and is also not allowed to profit off his name, image and likeness because he is a foreign born player, according to CTInsider. “Being eligible for an NIL deal would require a separate visa that would allow Sanogo to earn outside income, or a change in federal law,” the website wrote.
His teammate Jordan Hawkins told reporters, “I think it’s really unfair it’s not allowed. He’s one of the best big men in the nation, if not at least the top three, so I think it’s really unfair. He’s making the best of it. He’s giving back to his home. So I think that’s great.”