HOUSTON — Sometimes, Adama Sanogo gets reflective.

He looks back at his journey.

Remembers how far he has come, from a kid who didn’t know a word of English when he arrived in America at the age of 15 and had never heard of the NCAA Tournament to one who is on the verge of winning a national championship.

“I’ll be in my room thinking, ‘Damn, what if I went to France, what if I didn’t come to the United States,’ ” the Connecticut star center from Bamako, Mali, said on the eve of the national championship game. “That showed me, don’t just say no to everything. I can’t believe it. I almost didn’t want to come here. I’m playing on a big stage like this, it’s something I’ll appreciate for the rest of my life.”

Growing up, Sanogo’s sport of choice was soccer.

He was an oversized defender.

Friends suggested he pick up basketball because he was so tall.

But it wasn’t until his uncle, Tidiane Drame, got in his ear about coming to the United States that his life truly changed.

Like most young kids in Mali, Sanogo envisioned attending college in France.

Drame, a basketball scout who hosted camps in Mali for years, convinced him that he could use the sport to get a free education.

“I never thought I would become a college basketball player,” said Sanogo, who attended high school at Our Savior New American on Long Island and The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J. “I was only thinking about studying in France because all of my friends were there.”

Several years later, he has become a big star, leading the Huskies back to college basketball’s biggest stage.

The hulking 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior big man has been a force in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and shooting a through-the-roof 68.1 percent from the field despite fasting during daylight hours for Ramadan as a practicing Muslim.

Sanogo nearly went elsewhere for college, seriously considering Seton Hall.

The UConn coaching staff was nervous about the decision, he was that important to them.

They saw him as an integral part of re-establishing the program.

“[Assistant coach] Kimani [Young] is usually trying to keep my head in the game and not panic. But Kimani was melting down because [Sanogo] looked like he was not going to come to us,” coach Dan Hurley recalled. “So I had to convince Kimani, ‘Hey, we’re good, he’s a reasonable guy, he’s not going to ruin his life and make a bad decision, he’s very smart, he’s going to pick us.’ ”

Ultimately, Sanogo did choose the Huskies.

He was drawn to the school by the coaching staff and was convinced they would develop him and push him to new heights.

At the time of his arrival, Connecticut was still in the early stages of developing a new culture under Hurley.

Sanogo played a big part in furthering thar change.

“We were still trying to build a mentality, and I just think him and Andre Jackson Jr. coming into the program increased a level of seriousness and work ethic because these guys, they live in the gym,” Hurley said.

Sanogo had a difficult road, leaving his family at the age of 15 and moving to a new country without knowing the language.

That first year was hard, not having anyone to talk to.

But he persevered and is now fluent in not only English, but Arabic and French along with Bambara, the native language of Mali.

He last saw his parents, Cheickne Sanogo and Awa Traore, in June.

They have never seen him play for Connecticut in person, but he frequently talks to them after games despite the five-hour time difference.

He is surely making them proud.

“I thank God I came to the United States because if I hadn’t made that decision I wouldn’t be in the position that I am today,” he said.

It’s a nice position to be in.

Sanogo will make a lot of money professionally after college, either in the NBA or overseas.

First up is Monday night, with a chance to help Connecticut win its fifth national championship and first since 2014.

After losing in the first round of the tournament each of the previous two years, the Huskies have been dominant, winning their five tournament games by an average of 20.6 points, and Sanogo has been vital to their run.

“This March,” Sanogo said, “was payback time for us.”