Even on the opening day of the 2026-27 season, planning for next season didn’t stop for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team.

On Monday, they got a commitment from 6-foot-10 center Keny Vado, an 18-year-old who represents France internationally. His agency, WEAVE, made the announcement on social media with a brief statement.

“Together with Keny Vado we are excited to announce his commitment to the University of Connecticut,” the statement read.

That wasn’t the only news in men’s basketball recruiting.

Also Monday, Matija Lukić – another European standout – visited the UConn campus in Storrs, Conn. He’s from Serbia.

The Huskies also have commitments from small forward Jordan Page and guard NaVorro Bowman Jr., both five-star prospects, in the 2027 class.

Vado, who has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, plays professionally in France’s second division Elite 2 league for Union Poitiers Basket 86.

With Poitiers, he averages 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds over 11.9 minutes per game.

Vado also played for France in the U18 EuroBasket in August. He averaged 6.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The team lost to Italy in the semifinals and defeated Spain in the bronze-medal game.

With a trio of sophomore centers currently on his roster, head coach Dan Hurley likely looks at Vado as a developmental project – provided no member of his center corps enters the transfer portal.

Another center, 7-foot-1 Jack Thelen from Minnesota, visited UConn last week.

At 6-7, Lukić was a standout shooting guard for Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Cup over the summer in Istanbul. Serbia won the silver medal, losing 107-81 to the United States in the championship game.

In the tournament, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Lukić, who turned 17 last month, shot 41.9% from beyond the 3-point line.

In the title game against a U.S. team that featured some of the nation’s top prospects, Lukić scored 16 points, propelled by 4-of-6 shooting from long distance.

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express reported Lukić is in the United States and has seven campus visits planned. They started Sunday with a whirlwind schedule set to conclude Nov. 8.

The schools on his visit list, in addition to UConn, are Boston College, BYU, Duke, North Carolina State, North Carolina and Utah. He reportedly also has interest in Washington.

Both Hurley and women’s coach Geno Auriemma – and their staffs – have identified promising players from abroad in recent years.

The men’s opening day roster includes freshman forward Egor Amosov of Russia and three transfer players who have significant overseas experience in their home countries: senior guard Nils Machowski from Germany, and sophomore centers Oskar Giltay from Belgium and Elmir Džafic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Auriemma’s team has players from four continents: North America, Europe (sophomore center Gandy Malou-Mamel from Ireland, freshman guards Marine Dursus from France and Jovana Popovic from Serbia), South America (Blanca Quiñonez, Ecuador) and Africa (center Jana El Alfy, in her fourth season from Egypt).