Report: Adama Sanogo to enter NBA Draft, Alleyne to the portal

The junior big man was a two-time All-Big East First Team selection, while Nahiem Alleyne was a key player off the bench for the Huskies.

Adama Sanogo will enter his name in the NBA Draft, according to Adam Zagoria. It’s unclear whether he will be retaining his right to return to college at this time. Jeff Goodman said Sanogo is signing with Octagon but has not ruled anything out.

Sanogo was one of college basketball’s best big men this season and was nothing short of fantastic through UConn’s championship run. He averaged 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in just 26.3 minutes during the NCAA Tournament while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He was also fasting in observance of Ramadan since the Sweet 16.

On the season, the Mali native averaged 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per night, with nearly a block and steal each game as well. He’s a well-respected leader in the locker room and earned high praise from head coach Dan Hurley for his character and what it brings to the team.

Sanogo was mostly a post presence in his first two years in Storrs, but transformed his game this year, shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc on 52 attempts. He also improved his passing out of the post, as we saw against Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.

His NBA future is unclear at this point, he’s not on any mock drafts at the moment, but Sanogo will surely get a chance in the Summer and G Leagues and can also make good coin and continue to develop his game in other countries’ pro leagues should he end up going the professional route next season.

UConn Rings the Bell: A busy week of offseason

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Nahiem Alleyne is looking for a new school. The guard entered his name in the portal and will be a graduate transfer but will need to petition for a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately.

The Buford, Georgia native started the first eight games of the season for UConn and played in 35 of 39 games, averaging 18.3 minutes and 5.5 points per game. He came to UConn after three seasons at Virginia Tech.

He never truly got settled in Storrs, as he was a 30.5 percent shooter from 3-point range in 2022-23, despite hovering around 40.0 percent while in Blacksburg. But Alleyne still hit some big shots this season, including a pair of deep shots against both Iona and Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament, and was a perfect 3-3 in UConn’s win over Providence in February.

Who stays? Who goes?