By Michael Letendre
For quite some time, basketball fans from the Mum City have been eagerly anticipating a decision by Bristol Central’s All-State boys basketball star Donovan Clingan on where he’d be taking his talents collegiately.
He had several suiters and Clingan indicated a decision was looming once he was done making official visits and the recruitment process was complete.
Well, the time has come.
In a huge announcement that was delivered on Instagram on Friday, Clingan made his ultimate decision.
And to the delight of many, Clingan isn’t going to be leaving the Nutmeg State after all.
Clingan committed to the University of Connecticut during his official visit to the school – ending months of anticipation, hopes, and possibilities with his choice of the Huskies.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank all the coaches who took the time and effort to recruit me,” said Clingan via Instagram. “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 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!!”
Congratulations poured in from several media platforms as peers and opponents alike shared well wishes over the huge announcement.
Clingan, the four-star recruit and top-40 junior, was named the Connecticut Basketball Player of the Year in 2021 after leading Bristol Central to a perfect 15-0 season.
He averaged 27.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 5.8 blocked shots-per-game this past winter.
“The 7-foot-1 center is the most dominant player we’ve seen in the CIAC in the last 15 years in my opinion,” said Adam Finkelstein, a former NBA scout and ESPN host via Twitter.
After finishing his senior campaign next season, he’ll join the UCONN family as part of the incoming 2022 class which is shaping up nicely for the Huskies.
After weighing all his collegiate options this spring, Clingan whittled his choices down to eight schools.
And each men’s program had something different and intriguing to offer the 7-foot-2, 265-pound center.
No one was quite sure which path Clingan would take as programs such as Georgetown and Michigan State offered the stud a chance to learn under former NBA centers.
Another program had an immediate Bristol connection while the first school that reached out to Clingan was an ACC powerhouse with a veteran coach.
Clingan has also stated in the past that he would like to play with friends.
And in the end, it wasn’t Georgetown, Providence, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan State, or Syracuse that made the cut.
It’s the Huskies and Clingan said that he was ‘1000% committed’ to the UCONN program on Instagram.
In that picture, he was wearing a UCONN jersey with the No. 32 on it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” said The UCONN Blog on Twitter. “UCONN lands four-star 2022 center Donovan Clingan out of Bristol Central.”
Dan Hurley has been a big part of the recruitment process, watching Clingan at high school games, putting in the mileage and while he can be a fiery mentor, the Bristol Central center will be heading off to play for an excellent coach.
Clingan kept in line with all the big players scholastically from Bristol Central over the years as collegiate players who remained in New England.
Bruce Kuczenski played at UCONN from 1979-1983 with a year in the NBA while Malcom Huckaby attended Boston College (1990-1994) before embarking on a professional career that included stops in Europe, the United States Basketball League, and Italy before signing with the Miami Heat in 1996-97.
Jeff Salovski, who had an offer to stay stateside at Central Connecticut State University, played at UMASS for a season in 2004-2005.
And don’t forget Malcolm’s brother Martin competed at Howard University in Washington, D.C. starting in the late 1980s.
Clingan has scored over 1,400 points and grabbed 1,000-plus rebounds for Bristol Central and will look to become the top scorer in Bristol scholastic history after the completion of his senior season.
But first, before he takes the trip up Interstate 84 East to the UCONN campus in Storrs, there is unfinished business to complete at Bristol Central.
And, in his final scholastic season under head coach Tim Barrette, Clingan hopes to lead the Rams’ program to its first state title since 1990.
