The UConn men’s basketball team received a piece of good news about its 2027 squad just hours prior to their 2026 season opener on Monday.
French native Keny Vado has committed to UConn, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
The 6-foot-10 center follows NaVorro Bowman Jr. and Jordan Page as the third player to join the Huskies’ 2027 recruiting class.
Vado is currently playing for Union Poitiers Basket 86 in the Élite 2, the second division of French professional basketball. The 18-year-old is averaging 11.9 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 blocks across seven games. He notched a season-high six points in 11 minutes against Champagne Basket on Oct. 16.
Vado also averaged six points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in seven games in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket this past summer as a starter for France. Leading the team in the latter category, he helped the team to a 5-2 record en route to taking home a bronze medal.
Foul trouble has seemingly been a problem at times for the young big man, as he’s accrued three fouls twice this season for Poitiers, once in just nine minutes. In the U18 EuroBasket, Vado picked up three or more personal fouls in three of the seven contests, including four in 13 minutes in the quarterfinals against Germany.
Vado will be joining a center room next season that projects to feature a trio of juniors in Na’jai Hines, Oskar Giltay and Elmir Džafic. Vado is an inch shorter than Hines and Giltay, who will form UConn’s main center tandem this season, and two inches shorter than Džafic. Should both Hines and Giltay return for a second season in Storrs, Vado would likely open his UConn career providing frontcourt depth.