Anyone have any word on what Sanogo is doing this summer?

[jibsey]

Anyone have any word on what he’s doing this summer, how he intends to improve his already good game? Based on last year I am sky high on his abilities and potential I think he can be as good or better than Okafor. Tremendous footwork, good rebounder and feel for his shot at close range..Shotblocking, fouls and defense are where he could get better. Thoughts?

 

[Huskybass]

Anyone have any word on what he’s doing this summer, how he intends to improve his already good game? Based on last year I am sky high on his abilities and potential I think he can be as good or better than Okafor. Tremendous footwork, good rebounder and feel for his shot at close range..Shotblocking, fouls and defense are where he could get better. Thoughts?

Okafor was tremendous as a Junior, literally the best Big in the country. Sanogo is ahead of Okafor from an offensive standpoint, but will likely never compare to Okafor in terms of D and shot blocking. Sanogo is a great player, and among the easiest to root for, but comparing him to a guy that got drafted 2nd overall might be a bit much. That's no knock against Sanogo as he is a fine player in his own right.

 

[BGesus4]

Okafor was tremendous as a Junior, literally the best Big in the country. Sanogo is ahead of Okafor from an offensive standpoint, but will likely never compare to Okafor in terms of D and shot blocking. Sanogo is a great player, and among the easiest to root for, but comparing him to a guy that got drafted 2nd overall might be a bit much. That's no knock against Sanogo as he is a fine player in his own right.

Yeah, tough to be better than Okafor from a college standpoint, no matter what Sanogo does.

 

[B1GEast]

Oakafor also had Clyde Vaugn coaching him. I don't know why Uconn never reached out to Cliff to help with the forwards. The guy only played in the NBA for over a decade and was productive

 

[superjohn]

Anyone have any word on what he’s doing this summer, how he intends to improve his already good game? Based on last year I am sky high on his abilities and potential I think he can be as good or better than Okafor. Tremendous footwork, good rebounder and feel for his shot at close range..Shotblocking, fouls and defense are where he could get better. Thoughts?

Thoughts?

Okafor was the best defensive player in the country his sophomore and junior seasons, best player in the country his junior season, the #2 draft pick, and arguably the greatest UConn player ever. Sanogo has zero chance being as good or better than Okafor.

 

[Tampahusky]

Let’s just hope for some All Big East teams before comparing to Okafor. Kid has a great touch but defensively it’s not close.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Yep. Too late now. Maybe give Sanogo a white headband and channel Cliff.

 

[Umami Zen]

Adama can be a beast..He's got the finesse moves down.. Got to start exploding to the hoop. The next evolution of his game based on his strength

 

[husky429]

Oakafor also had Clyde Vaugn coaching him. I don't know why Uconn never reached out to Cliff to help with the forwards. The guy only played in the NBA for over a decade and was productive

Because Cliff was a multi-millionaire with NBA money and an entrepreneur. Why on earth would he come toil as an assistant coach?

Also the skill part of coaching isn't really the hard part. Tons of guys can do that. I want a master motivator on the benxjch with an eye for talent. Many (maybe most) NBA stars are so internally motivated and competitive they don't really get how to motivate your average 19 year old kid.

 

[jibsey]

Thoughts?

Okafor was the best defensive player in the country his sophomore and junior seasons, best player in the country his junior season, the #2 draft pick, and arguably the greatest UConn player ever. Sanogo has zero chance being as good or better than Okafor.

Right but Sanogo has had 1 year experience so let’s see where he goes. He learned that footwork, maybe he can learn defense. Tenaciously rebounds. He may not do it but he could be one of the best we’ve ever had at the 5 position, especially with what we’ve been running out there in recent memory.

 

[mussels]

Why do we need to compare? Let’s let Sanogo be Sanogo, and if he can do that I guarantee we’ll all be very happy.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Let’s not make any Emeka comparisons.

The growth I’m hoping for from Adama is a jumper out to 15-18 feet & improved passing/identification of double teams

 

[TheChamps990411]

I dont think the comparison to Okafor is all that crazy. Most of you are remembering who Mek turned out to be in his sophomore and especially junior year forgetting he was a freshman and NOBODY thought he`d turn out to be what he turned out to be and if you say otherwise youre lying. Sanogo was a freshmen who had to deal with interruptions, a shortened season and a coach who took some time to come around on him. For all we know Sanogo could come out this season and blow us all away averaging 20/10/4. He could also be solid and put up 12/7/2 a game. The point is we just dont know. What we do know is he showed some flashes of being a dominant big with natural and versatile scoring ability.

 

[Hankster]

Thoughts?

Okafor was the best defensive player in the country his sophomore and junior seasons, best player in the country his junior season, the #2 draft pick, and arguably the greatest UConn player ever. Sanogo has zero chance being as good or better than Okafor.

Zero chance? I am a huge Okafor fan then and now. The best overall player in terms of athletics, education and just being a great kid/guy. He is a big fav of mine then and now. However, to say "zero chance" at this point doesn't resonate with me at all. NOW. Actually I hope Sonago surpasses Okafor. Can you imagine? Ok was tall and thin. Sonago bulky. Should be interesting.

 

[Kitaman]

Love pre-season prediction and wishes. Hell, Andre Jackson can be compared to Magic.

Reality begins in December with opponents and true tests. Anyway Okafor is proven, and king of our bigs. It would take a special couple of seasons and a first team AA to knock him off his throne (won't even include Championship).

 

[UofCT]

Thoughts?

Okafor was the best defensive player in the country his sophomore and junior seasons, best player in the country his junior season, the #2 draft pick, and arguably the greatest UConn player ever. Sanogo has zero chance being as good or better than Okafor.

Not just Sanogo, nobody will ever be as good as Okafor. He was special.

 

[Scot-e]

So no one knows what he has been doing this summer?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

NOW. Actually I hope Sonago surpasses Okafor.

Just to be clear, EVERYBODY on this board hopes Sanogo surpasses Okafor. What we're talking about is whether that is realistic.

 

[HooperScooper]

I dont think the comparison to Okafor is all that crazy. Most of you are remembering who Mek turned out to be in his sophomore and especially junior year forgetting he was a freshman and NOBODY thought he`d turn out to be what he turned out to be and if you say otherwise youre lying.

I guess you can call me a liar then. Do you remember some of the games he had freshman year? The Arizona game on national TV is one that sticks out. I'm trying to find game by game stats to see if he had any other games like that to show what kind of potential he had, but I can't find those stats.

Okafor started every game and averaged over 30 minutes per game, which showed he could stay on the floor. He also averaged 9 rebounds and 4 blocks a game which is elite for a freshman, or anyone for that matter. Only 8 ppg and there were definitely questions about what kind of offensive player he could become. You could see where he was trending though by some of the big games he had. He was much more consistent as a freshman than Sanogo was last season.

 

[Umami Zen]

Okafor played bigger than his size and was an exceptional shot-blocker. He frequently gave up a few inches to the opposition but consistently out-played them with his heart/brains. Tremendous Husky

Adama has to figure out how to stay on the floor by staying out of foul trouble and "reading" how the refs are calling a particular game. A big year coming up for his development.

 

[SportsFan88]

Ima just assume that some of y’all didn’t watch Mek play because there are some crazy takes being thrown around LOL.

 

[SportsFan88]

I guess you can call me a liar then. Do you remember some of the games he had freshman year? The Arizona game on national TV is one that sticks out. I'm trying to find game by game stats to see if he had any other games like that to show what kind of potential he had, but I can't find those stats.

Okafor started every game and averaged over 30 minutes per game, which showed he could stay on the floor. He also averaged 9 rebounds and 4 blocks a game which is elite for a freshman, or anyone for that matter. Only 8 ppg and there was definitely questions about what kind of offensive player he could become. You could see where he was trending though by some of the big games he had. He was much more consistent as a freshman than Sanogo was last season.

That game with oak, a freshman Ben and Caron was a game for the ages, i still watch it every few months

 

[superjohn]

I guess you can call me a liar then. Do you remember some of the games he had freshman year? The Arizona game on national TV is one that sticks out.

Okafor had 19 pts. on 9-13 shooting, 15 rebs. 8 offensive rebs., and 9 blocks in that win at #10 Arizona.

 

[Lefty2one]

I guess you can call me a liar then. Do you remember some of the games he had freshman year? The Arizona game on national TV is one that sticks out.

I was thinking of this exact game. Okafor was far from a finished product as a freshman but you knew pretty early on that he was special. He's also at another level athletically than Sanogo.