UConn's Adama Sanogo Named 2023 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player

Adama Sanogo had a superb March, leading UConn to a national championship with Monday's 76-59 win over San Diego State.

So it was hardly a surprise when he was named the men's NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Sanogo put up 17 points and 10 boards in the title game, his fourth double-double of the tourney. In total he averaged 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds across six tournament games in UConn's run to its fifth national championship, all since 1999.

Suffice to say, his dominance didn't go unnoticed:

And Sanogo, a practicing Muslim, did all of it while fasting from dawn to dusk for Ramadan. But maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that a player who didn't come to the United States until 2017 to pursue a potential basketball career would thrive even while fasting.

"For a guy that's only been playing basketball for six years, he's a sponge," UConn coach Dan Hurley told reporters over the weekend. "His work ethic is off the charts. He watches tons of film. He's learned a lot of basketball concepts."

Sanogo, who grew up in Mali, had originally wanted to play soccer. He nearly chose to go to France for college. Basketball proved to be the right choice.

"I never thought I would become a college basketball player," he admitted, per the New York Post's Zach Braziller. "I was only thinking about studying in France because all of my friends were there."

"I'll be in my room thinking, 'Damn, what if I went to France, what if I didn't come to the United States,'" he added. "That showed me, don't just say no to everything. I can't believe it. I almost didn't want to come here. I'm playing on a big stage like this, it's something I'll appreciate for the rest of my life."

And now he'll forever be immortalized in the history of college basketball as the 2023 Most Outstanding Player.