UConn forward chooses to remain in 2023 NBA Draft

UConn forward Adama Sanogo will remain in the 2023 NBA Draft, according to a Wednesday tweet from CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein.

The 6-foot-9-inch forward announced his intent to declare for the NBA Draft in April. 

Sanogo played and started in 39 games for the Huskies last season. He earned averages of 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. The former four-star recruit played a crucial part in UConn's run to the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship, capping off the Huskies' dominant run in the postseason with a 17-point double-double in the championship game.

"He's obviously cemented himself into the pantheon of greatest, obviously, the greatest big guys with all the production and back-to-back First Team All-League, and now this," UConn head coach Dan Hurley said in April, via CBS Sports. "To have the national championship just puts him in a position in one of the most storied programs in college basketball. He's an all-time great."

Sanogo will join guards Andre Jackson Jr. and Jordan Hawkins. Hawkins declared for the draft in April. Jackson decided to stay in the draft on Wednesday, according to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

The trio's decision to pursue professional careers may pose an issue for a UConn squad looking to pursue another NCAA championship. The Huskies could put center Donovan Clingan in an increased role with the loss of Sanogo. A former four-star prospect from Bristol, Connecticut, Clingan announced he would return to UConn in April.

The Huskies recruiting class can provide a small spark of hope in ushering in a new era in UConn basketball. Combo guard Stephon Castle from Covington, Georgia, highlights the team's 2023 class. The 6-foot-6-inch guard passed up offers from Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Seton Hall, among others, according to 247Sports.