Thanksgiving 2021 Prospect Recap
Games that took place on Thanksgiving gave us a look at some NBA Draft prospects
The first holiday hoops week of the college basketball season has brought some fantastic matchups. On Black Friday, we get Duke vs. Gonzaga in a potential National Championship preview, and the anticipation for such a contest has stolen many headlines.
Throughout the week of Thanksgiving, three major tournaments are taking place: the Maui Invitational, the ESPN Events Invitational and the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. All three feature big-name teams, a tournament setup with winners advancing to major matchups and some elite NBA Draft prospects.
While many of you were busy eating Turkey and stuffing, spending time with family or napping during the NFL games on national television, we were watching the best college basketball games so you didn’t have to. We came away with a few highlights and breakdowns of what took place on Thanksgiving and would love to fill you in.
Specifically, a look at a few prospects who performed admirably on the holiday. A couple of names that are first-round guys and a few climbing their way early in the season to gain traction moving forward. All in all, Thanksgiving was a pretty solid day of hoops.
Adama Sanogo - P, Connecticut
At only 6’9”, Sanogo isn’t your typical big man prospect. He’s a tad smaller and stronger than other bigs, but he has great timing and length, two skills that allow him to play bigger. Sanogo had the best performance of the day, putting up 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks in a hard-fought battle with Michigan State.
Sanogo was the best player on the floor for much of the game, and not just because he logged a double-double. Sanogo controlled the paint on both ends. Defensively, the Spartans failed to get a lot going through the post-up because Sanogo was so strong one-on-one. His long arms blocked multiple shots on post fadeaways, showing off his exquisite timing.
Offensively, Sanogo is more traditional and likes to operate with his back to the basket. He feels his defender well and has unbelievable touch at the hoop. His hook shot works from all different sides and angles. He uses both hands well, but his righty hook shot is a thing of beauty and consistency. He even used a little Dream Shake in there to get you excited about the polish on his arsenal.
Sanogo needs more time before being considered anything close to a first-round prospect. He played really well against Michigan State in a game the Huskies should have won. They have a couple of really intriguing prospects on their team, including the super-tough RJ Cole and Jordan Hawkins. Sanogo stood out against Big Ten competition and a really good Spartans group. It’s easy to see him continuing this level of production deep into the Big East season.