Sanogo named to AP All-Big East First Team, Hawkins named West Award finalist
Mar. 7—Adama Sanogo's performance for the UConn men's basketball this season earned him All-Big East First Team recognition from the conference's coaches Sunday.
Recognition from the members of the Associated Press followed quickly for the junior.
Sanogo was named to the inaugural AP All-Big East First Team, the organization announced Tuesday.
Fellow Husky Jordan Hawkins was named to the AP All-Big East Second Team Tuesday. A panel of 11 media members who cover the conference voted for the teams.
The Big East preseason Player of the Year, Sanogo started all 31 games for UConn during the regular season. His 16.9 points per game led all Big East players and his 7.2 rebounds and five double-doubles led the team.
The Bamako, Mali native shot 58.6 percent overall, 36.2 percent from deep and 78.2 percent from the foul line.
Joining Sanogo on the First Team were Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Souley Boum (Xavier), Bryce Hopkins (Providence) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton).
Kolek was selected as the AP Big East Player of the Year while Boum was the Newcomer of the Year. Marquette coach Shaka Smart was the Coach of the Year.
The second team was comprised of Hawkins, Kam Jones (Marquette), Colby Jones (Xavier), Eric Dixon (Villanova) and Joel Soriano (St. John's).
Hawkins a West Award finalist
In addition to being named to the AP All-Big East Second Team, Hawkins was named as one of five finalists for the 2023 Jerry West Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
The award is presented by the Hall of Fame each year to the top shooting guard in Division I men's basketball.
Hawkins, a native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, averaged 16.4 points — including a Big East-leading 17.3 points in conference games — in 29 games this season. He added 3.9 rebounds while shooting 40.7 percent overall, 37.8 percent from deep and 87.7 percent at the charity stripe.
Adam Flagler (Baylor), Marcus Sasser (Houston), Gradey Dick (Kansas) and Isaiah Wong (Miami-Florida) were the other finalists for the award.
The finalists will be presented to the award's namesake Jerry West and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee, which is made up of media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers, later this month.
The winner will be announced and presented on a date to be determined.
For coverage of UConn football and men's basketball as well as area high school and local youth sports, follow Adam Betz on Twitter: @AdBetz1, Facebook: Adam Betz — Sports Writer, and Instagram: @AdBetzJI.
