chicago – Adam Sanogoin UConn-branded Nike sneakers with the Husky logo on the left tongue, stood outside the 3-point arc 30 minutes before his second scrimmage in NBA Draft Combine Inside Winterset Arena on Thursday.
He put up shot after shot, and NBA coaches and assistants repeatedly fed him the ball just steps from the line. In the end, the most outstanding player of the Final Four switched things up and, later in the same place, put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket for a series of ball passes. Sweat trickled down his face as he twirled the ball in his hands and smiled through his warm free throw.
On the same floor, three days earlier, he had to take off his shoes and stand when his height was measured. He was tall enough to ride, but not tall enough to cut forward.
Already a little smaller for the center when it was Listed at 6-ft-9 By UConn with sneakers, the bar reads 6-7 1/4 in Chicago.
UConn NBA Draft Combine Notes: Adama Sanogo measures shorter than expected, Andre Jackson performs well
Sanogo don’t let it bother him. He feels he’s made the most of his opportunities on the court to negate the disadvantages of his height, and hopes he performs well enough to catch the eye of the hundreds of NBA scouts and executives who are fanned out across the 10,387-seat stadium.
“It’s a sport, people will say what they want,” Sanogo said Thursday, referring to doubts about his height. “You can only control what you control, so I try to focus, work hard and do things that make me happy. I try not to worry about what people say. The only thing I can control is keep working on my game.”
In the first scrimmage of the week, Sanogo led his team, coached by Utah Jazz assistant Evan Brads, with 18 points and a 10-rebound double-double. He came off the bench on Wednesday but got the start on Thursday and scored the first points by stopping the ball on the drive. Sanogo finished his second scrimmage with 13 points (6-of-10 from the field), six rebounds and three assists.
Adama Sanogo turns the floor and knocks it down!
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– The NBA May 17, 2023
He tried opening a 3-pointer wide from the top of the corkscrew, which is the most comfortable place for him to shoot a 3 from, but it came a little short of the NBA distance, the line being three feet further from the basket than he was in college.
Sanogo continued to show off his much improved passing ability with a smooth backdoor dish and, on the defensive end, sent a layup attempt in front of the cup with a block that elicited a “Whoa!” From one person in the NBA to a crowd he rarely interacts with.
“I think I did well,” said Sanogo, “I wasn’t at my best but I think I did well. I think I did well defensively but I have to shoot a little bit better.”
Sanogo worked his 3-point shot in his last season of the moment, to help translate his game into the NBA, but he didn’t run out in the first scrimmage and missed his only attempt in the second. On Monday, during the practice phase of the combine, Sanogo performed 14 of 25 shots (56%) in positional shooting drills and hit 11 of 25 in the 3-point star drill.
Defensively, Sanogo hopes he will be able to add some variety, to protect more spots, get off the basket and increase his mobility to defend the perimeter.
“I think I can do it,” he said, “I feel like I have to work on my body a little bit.” “I feel like a mentality too, you just have to have a good mentality. It’s the things you can control, so I think I can definitely do that for sure.”
Although not included in most mock drafts, the former UConn captain said he met with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz during his time in Chicago.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley said in April, after Sanogo was announced for the draft, that his “entire intention is pro ball” and “I’m done with college basketball.”
But now he is enjoying and appreciating the trip.
“I used to dream about that kind of moment,” he said, recalling the 14-year-old version of himself coming to the United States from Mali. “Being able to be in the combine, I never thought I would be able to be here. To be able to be here, I’m just trying to enjoy it. It’s a good achievement for me.”