UConn forward Adama Sanogo declares for NBA draft

UConn forward Adama Sanogo announced his intent to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft in a Thursday post on his Instagram account.

He is maintaining his college eligibility but is focused on staying in the draft at this point, according to ESPN.

"Thank you UConn," Sanogo wrote. "Thank you to the best fans in the country that have supported me from the first day I got to Storrs. Thank you to the incredible support and guidance from Coach Hurley and the staff. They invested the time and energy to making me a better player and person. 

"Most importantly thank you to my family, and support system that has always allowed me to focus on reaching my dreams and have sacrificed so much for me."

A former four-star recruit from Bamako, Mali, Sanogo chose the Huskies in 2020 over offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Xavier, Creighton and Marquette, among others, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-9-inch forward led the team in points per game with 17.2 and rebounds per contest with 7.7. A leader on and off the court for the Huskies, Sanogo helped spark a memorable run in the NCAA Tournament that saw UConn win the National Championship for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Sanogo was name the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

Sanogo's departure and guard Jordan Hawkins's decision to declare for the draft last week will leave the Huskies without a pair of difference-makers who saw massive leaps of improvement since they first suited up for UConn.

They may also free up the opportunity for a promising young center in Donovan Clingan to increase his role on this Huskies squad.

Clingan, a former four-star recruit out of Bristol, Connecticut, announced his intent to return to UConn in a tweet earlier this month. He led UConn in blocks per game with 1.8 despite playing in just 13.1 minutes per game. The Big East All-Freshman Team selection earned an efficient 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his limited minutes.