The UConn men’s basketball program has received a commitment from French international center Kény Vado in the class of 2027.
Vado, an 18-year old, 6-foot-9, 245-pound center, currently plays for Union Poitiers Basket 86 in the Pro B division of the French LNB. The Pro B is the second tier of professional basketball in France. In 7 games so far in the regular season, he’s averaging 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in 11.6 minutes per game.
He started playing basketball in 2011 in Guadeloupe for Baie Mahault Basket Club. For the last few years, he has been in the French national basketball developmental pipeline. In 2024, he joined the French training academy INSEP, whose basketball academy is known as Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball (CFBB). Players at the academy play on the Pôle France team, which competes in the third tier of French basketball, NM1 (Nationale Masculine 1). Vado also played with Pôle at the Euroleague Next Generation Tournament earlier this summer.
Players at CFBB are groomed for competition with the France men’s national team. Vado played for France at the U15 Friendship tournament in 2023, the U16 EuroBasket in 2024, the U19 World Cup in 2025, and the U18 EuroBasket in 2026. The U15 and U16 teams won the championship in their respective tournaments.
Upon signing with Union Poitiers for this season, their GM said this about Vado: “Kény is the type of player who fits what we are looking to build here. His physical profile is real, but it is above all his mentality and his potential for improvement that convinced us. We want to offer him a serious environment so that he can take the next steps.”
Vado joins UConn’s 2027 recruiting class as a depth piece in the frontcourt alongside 5* prospects NaVorro Bowman Jr. and Jordan Page. Minnesota center Jack Thelen visited the Huskies last week, and wing Matija Lukic is on his official visit today.
