By JACOB POLACHECK
Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-1, 255-pound center from Bristol Central (CT) and Team Spartans, has committed to UConn while on his official visit, per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
Clingan chose UConn after taking visits to Michigan, Syracuse and Ohio State. He was also considering Rutgers, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgetown and Providence.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the coaches who took the time and effort to recruit me!,” Clingan said in his Instagram post. “I would also like to thank my Dad for coming in after losing my mom and doing everything he could as a single parent. My family, they supported me from the start and I couldn’t thank them enough. To all the coaches who have coached me and all the trainers who have trained me, Thank you for pushing me to be not only be a good player but also a better person! With that being said, it was a hard decision, but i will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut!! Mom I did it!!”
Clingan averaged 27.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, 5.8 blocks and 3.1 assists last season while leading Bristol Central to a 15-0 record and the Central Conneticut Bracket I Championship in March. He was named Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year, and was one of three national finalists for Gatorade National Player of the Year, which ultimately went to Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren.
He joins Corey Floyd as the second commit in UConn’s 2022 recruiting class, giving the Huskies the nation’s No. 22 ranked recruiting class per 247Sports.com.
Joe Chatman, Clingan’s coach with the Boston Spartans, raved about his upside last summer.
“Personally, last year I reached out to every coach in our area and told them I thought the kid was the best low-post 14-year-old I’ve ever seen,” Chatman told ZAGSBLOG.
“But what he’s done recently is work on his range. He’s shooting the 3 fairly well for a guy his size. His passing ability for a guy that young, like [Jim] Boeheim was saying when he first saw him last year, out of double-teams is unparalleled. It’s better than most bigs at the college level now.
“His passing ability and his ability to play inside and out is phenomenal for a kid that’s only 16 years old.”
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