UConn’s Adama Sanogo and the power of faith on the Final Four stage

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You think this is hard? Playing while fasting? Winning and advancing while keeping the faith?

Adama Sanogo, a practicing Muslim, is currently going without eating from dawn to dusk for the month of Ramadan, the most sacred time of the year in the Islamic tradition. You likely know this by now. The dynamic has been a running story through Connecticut’s march to the Final Four — that its dominant starting center is running on prayer and heart instead of carbs and calories. Each week, same story.

On Saturday night, in Houston, Sanogo was at it again. He dominated a Miami Hurricanes team that previously knocked Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jarace Walker out of this NCAA Tournament. Sanogo didn’t go as easily. On both ends, at all times, it was Sanogo’s game from the opening jump, when he walked out to center court at NRG Stadium, glanced around at the 72,000 seats, ran his hand over his face, and exhaled. Then he took what energy he had, played 36 minutes, and pumped Miami for 21 points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of blocks, leading his Huskies to a 72-59 win and a spot in Monday’s national championship game against San Diego State.

Think that’s hard?

Fact is, it’s not. Not for Sanogo at least. He’s done more in his 21 years than most, and it’s time to realize that if UConn does what it appears it might do on Monday — win the 2023 national title — his journey should hold an indelible place in college hoops lore. If anything, it probably already should.

Let’s remember, Sanogo walked into Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako, Mali, at 15 years old, with his mom and two of his six siblings. He boarded a plane for France. They didn’t. Those goodbyes were hard. Even harder, he’s only rarely seen his immediate family ever since. He most recently visited home last May. His family has never seen him play a college basketball game in person.

He came to the U.S. in 2017 to pursue basketball because he was already a towering figure approaching his current 6 feet, 9 inches. His game was unpolished, and he spoke no English. This was his starting point. UConn assistant Kimani Young, Sanogo’s primary recruiter back in the day, remembers him being “a bull” with obvious talent but little direction.

On Saturday night? Sanogo was in the middle of the floor, orchestrating action. He directed teammates, pointing here and there, telling them to get to their spots. He called out defensive assignments. He was a linchpin in a chokehold defense that held the Canes to 32.3 percent shooting and a season-low 59 points.

“For a guy that’s only been playing basketball for six years, he’s a sponge,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “His work ethic is off the charts. He watches tons of film. He’s learned a lot of basketball concepts.”

Sanogo with ANOTHER three 😮#MarchMadness @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/Vj2KvcGmZJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023

Fasting is hard? In 2018, at age 16, Sanogo joined the Malian National Team to play in the FIBA U17 World Cup. He also, though, wanted to join his grassroots team, NY Rens, to play at Peach Jam, the summer tournament attended by every college coach and scout imaginable, where rankings are built and scholarship offers are made.

Given the choice of doing one or the other, he chose both.

So, when the world championships wrapped up in Rosario, Argentina, Sanogo hustled to get to North Augusta, South Carolina. Not a lot of direct flights.

“I was thinking I was going to fly back to New York …” he says.

That didn’t happen. The Malian government stepped in to say Sanogo wasn’t able to enter the U.S. directly from Argentina, but would instead need to return to Mali, then go to New York. So Sanogo flew from Argentina to Mali to France to New York. Then, attempting to get to Atlanta to then make the drive to North Augusta, he missed his flight and was stuck at JFK Airport for an extra five hours.

When Sanogo finally landed in Atlanta, he had to play later that afternoon.

“Tough day,” he says.

Oh, forgot to mention, Sanogo played all those games with a broken finger.

“It was something I didn’t want to miss,” Sanogo says. “If I had to (take four flights), play with a broken finger, whatever.”

On Saturday night? It was UConn that was missing parts. Star guard Jordan Hawkins came into the night battling a stomach bug. He started, but wasn’t quite his typical self. Then, four minutes into the matchup with Miami, do-it-all junior Andre Jackson Jr. picked up his second foul and was relegated to the bench for the remainder of the half.

By all measures, the Huskies should’ve been in legitimate trouble. But Sanogo wouldn’t allow it. He scored 13 first-half points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbed five boards, and overwhelmed the Canes. Miami had no answer.

Miami’s Norchad Omier, left, struggled to physically contain UConn’s Adama Sanogo on Saturday. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Fasting? Hard?

Try learning the game on the fly as a lumbering teenager still growing into an oversized frame. Sanogo became a prized recruit because of his size and budding talents. But he, like every other modern big man, dreamed of wandering into the nether regions, out beyond the 3-point line. He explains, “In high school I would watch the NBA and see all these big men shooting. I want to play in the NBA, so I was like, aight, for me to be able to play, I need to work on shooting, passing, all that stuff.”

That wasn’t remotely plausible early on. Sanogo didn’t attempt a 3 in 392 minutes as a freshman at UConn, probably because he wouldn’t get any more of those minutes if he had.

That summer, Sanogo lived in the gym. Endless hours. Time spent in Atlanta working with a trainer. He did the same thing after his sophomore year, when he attempted one 3 in 848 minutes played. He watched film, put in the work, rebuilt his technique.

“Every summer since he’s been here, it’s been focus on his shooting, focus on his passing, focus on his ballhandling,” Young said. “There’s been no emphasis on his back-to-the-basket game. He’s been all about development.”

This year, Sanogo finally resolved to trust the work. He says he decided, “I wouldn’t be nervous to try it. I’m taking it.”

On Saturday night? It was just over two minutes into the game when Sanogo found himself alone atop the key. He surveyed the floor, set his feet, and let it fly. A player who was, until this year, never a threat to shoot, made a 3 on a raised court with no backdrop in a filled-to-the-brim football stadium.

Fifty-three seconds later, he did it again. Two-of-two.

Sanogo is now 19-of-51 on 3s in his junior season.

“This is something I welcome,” Sanogo said afterward.

Fasting? Hard?

Well, yes, it is. Dusk arrived shortly before tipoff, allowing Sanogo to have some coconut water and fruit before game time. Was he at his absolute best? Who knows, but he was more than good enough. With five minutes left in the first half, he slid from the weak side to block a shot by Miami’s Norchad Omier. Sanogo didn’t elevate much, but got up enough. And early in the second half, with Miami threatening to cut into the Huskies’ lead, he was quick enough to pump fake in the corner, put the ball on the floor, take two dribbles, rip through two defenders and finish at the rim.

Originally, Sanogo was unsure about fasting this March. He chose to go through with it after being told that Hakeem Olajuwon, one of his boyhood heroes, used to observe Ramadan while playing in the NBA.

Sure, it’s hard, but Sanogo makes it look awfully easy. It’s what he’s done throughout his journey. It’s why he feasts.

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)