Rounding out the highly-touted freshman class for this year’s UConn men’s basketball team is none other than four-star Youssouf Singare. The 7-footer isn’t the highest rated player in the class nor is he the flashiest, but that doesn’t diminish the effect he could have as a Husky.
Once a soccer player, Singare came to the U.S. from Mali and started high school at Upper Room Christian School. He then upped his competition and moved to Our Savior Lutheran in Dix Hills, NY, on the other side of the Long Island Sound from campus and just under three hours away from Storrs.
If Mali and UConn sound familiar together, that’s because the Huskies’ most recent all-time great, Adama Sanogo, is also a native of the west-African nation. Although the two play very different games, they’re close and Sanogo’s success played a role in Singare’s choice to come to Connecticut.
He had a successful high school career, with his team playing in two leagues, the Grind Session and better documented Overtime Elite, coached by former UConn player and coach Kevin Ollie. Three such games were against Amen and Ausar Thompson, the twins picked No. 4 and 5 in the most recent NBA draft. He notched point-rebound-block lines of 18-8-3, 2-12-1 and 17-6-1 in those contests. Even though he wasn’t matched up against the twins, as a center, his ability to perform in those situations is encouraging. On the season, Singare posted a 12-11-2 line, demonstrating his abilities as a traditional center.
SCOUTING REPORT
Singare is a dynamic player and plays the game best in fastbreak situations. He’s great when he has a point guard to get him easy looks that he can finish. The Malian has great bounce around the rim and is phenomenal dunking on people and finishing through contact. His rim-running abilities are where he hangs his hat, but he’s not just limited there.
He also does well in the half-court when the floor is spaced well, such that he can get by defenders and get inside for a bucket in the paint. He’s agile and runs well like a guard, but really doesn’t have a ton of offense outside of layups and dunks yet. Opening up that area of his game would be a game changer. With his quickness, adding a reliable three or long two would enable him to effectively use a pump-fake, much like Sanogo did this past year. For now Singare remains effective close to the hoop with offensive improvement to look forward to later in his career.
On defense, there’s less to work on. As mentioned, he’s a sensational shot blocker, largely thanks to his big frame, wingspan and unusual athleticism for his size. That’s a quality that translates well early in college, much like it did for Akok Akok and Donovan Clingan most recently. Singare’s agility also allows him to step up and guard other positions, potentially from the 3-5. He’ll want to add some more muscle so that he doesn’t get bullied by centers with a lower center of gravity, but that’ll come with time on a college workout plan.
Singare is a hard worker and has a high motor, another thing that’ll help him early in college. Analysts aren’t necessarily looking at him as an NBA pick any time soon, but his skill set will play a big role in his impact early as a Husky.
A common comparison for Singare is Amida Brimah, a big freshman contributor on the 2014 National Championship team. Brimah averaged four points and two blocks in 16 minutes during his first year, a plausible path for Singare. The two play similar games and Brimah developed his body and offensive game throughout his career, highlighted by his 40 point game on 13-13 shooting.
STORRS IMPACT
In Connecticut, a solid summer means that Singare plays the role that Clingan held last year. Clingan, a budding star, was an understudy to Sanogo and now is taking the reins as the focus of the offense. With Clingan now commanding 25+ minutes on a nightly basis, that only leaves 15 for Singare at best. This isn’t a bad thing though. It’s good to give young centers a chance to get their feet wet and adjust to the college game. It’ll also give him a chance to get a feel for his offensive game in college, testing out what works and what doesn’t. The way that Singare will find those minutes early is through his defense and effort, the two foci that coach Dan Hurley is really fond of.
As a freshman, there’s not much better than coming into a situation where there’s someone like Clingan to learn from for a year before you take over. Most sources have Clingan slated as a lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft, leaving the door open for Singare in year two if all goes well. This season will have the perfect mix of opportunity and limited expectations for the center, putting him on track to follow in the footsteps of those before him and become another successful UConn center.
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