Bristol Central’s Clingan a big deal
In 30- plus seasons at the helm at Windsor High, there is probably very little that would catch Ken Smith off- guard when it comes to boys basketball. But when he found out Donovan Clingan was only a junior, not a senior.
“He’s only a junior? Damn, that’s scary.”
That’s 7- foot- 1 Donovan Clingan of Bristol Central High School. Windsor was able to beat Clingan and Bristol Central last season, but the then- sophomore still dropped 34 points, 29 rebounds and eight blocked shots on the Warriors, a 75- 71 Windsor victory.
Clingan brought back some memories of some other 7- footers Smith has gone up against during his tenure — two in particular who went on to play in the NBA.
“He has a nice touch. Obviously, he is a monster around the glass. He reminds me of Marcus Camby ( from Hartford Public). He alters shots if he doesn’t block them,” Smith said. “This dude has more skills than Andre ( Drummond did when he played at Capital Prep) and Andre is making millions right now. ( Clingan’s) basketball IQ is off the charts.”
There is plenty to like about Clingan’s game. He is the No. 45 recruit in the class of 2022 according to 247Sports and No. 49 in the ESPN 60 list of juniors nationwide.
Plenty of Division I colleges have come calling. In fact, 17 have offered the 270- pound junior a scholarship: UConn, Ohio State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Yale, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, Iowa, Boston College, UMass, South Carolina, Iona and Wake Forest.
Clingan, who turns 17 later this month, has said often that he currently doesn’t favor any college, no matter where it is located. He said he hears from at least one of them every day.
“I’m definitely getting more used
to it, more comfortable. Sometimes, it would overwhelm me before I started to get used to it,” Clingan said. “I look at what ( the teams recruiting him) are doing right now, I look at how they treat me and how they treat other players. I like a family atmosphere. It has to feel like a family. I want to be happy.”
Clingan is certainly happy he will have the opportunity to play his junior season. There was plenty of doubt until the CIAC announced on Jan. 14 that preseason practice would officially begin on Jan. 19.
And there still is plenty of doubt trying to get in a 12game regular season during this COVID- 19 pandemic. Either way, there will be no CIAC state tournament held.
“I obviously was excited, happy that we are playing. It’s a bummer there is no state tournament, but I’m happy to be playing and I’m hoping everyone stays safe,” Clingan said.
We know that whatever the postseason brings, there will be no non- conference games played during the regular season, either. Bristol Central will play all 12 against CCC teams.
In one of those non- conference games played last season, Clingan had 25 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in a 58- 47 win over Cromwell.
“I saw improvement in him from early in the year to when they played us ( on Feb. 20),” Cromwell coach John Pinone said. “He’s got the skills, he knows the game. He can dominate the inside game without a doubt.”
Smith said Windsor was scheduled to play Bristol Central in this year’s season opener, before all of the changes were made to the schedule.
“( Clingan) understands how to play with his ( teammates). We didn’t have anyone who could get physical with him,” Smith said.
“What we did do is turn up the defense on the other guys. They look for him and he is a good passer. You try to keep him out of the lane, but he is so big and has a great touch. I saw him shoot the three in warmups and the mid- range ( jumper). I see why teams want this kid.”
East Catholic had the most success against Bristol Central last year, beating the Rams twice. In the regularseason matchup, Clingan had 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in just 12 minutes played.
East Catholic won the second time around in the CCC tournament ( 85- 48), but had plenty of difficulty against Clingan ( 28 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks). Remember, that was one- loss East Catholic, the No. 1 team in the Register/ GameTimeCT poll going into last year’s Division I state tournament.
“He is so far out of the realm of what you see every day in the high school game. He is so much bigger than the opponents,” East Catholic coach Luke Reilly said about Clingan. “He creates a physical presence that was just jaw- dropping. He is the most unique matchup you are going to see. Even a guard who can dominate the game, we’ve seen that. A 7- foot big man is not a common occurrence. … He has some versatility, which makes him a special player.”
Some other eye- popping games for Clingan last season included 34 points, 22 rebounds and 13 blocks against Middletown and 37 points, 28 rebounds and 10 blocks against New Britain in the CCC tournament opening round.
It all added up to Clingan averaging 24.8 points, 17.2 rebounds and 6.4 blocks to earn a spot on the Register/ GameTimeCT all- state team.
The double- and tripleteams, and maybe more, will continue to be thrown at Clingan. Bristol Central coach Tim Barrette said in the games where the Rams hit seven 3- pointers or more, “We won all of those games by 18- plus points. I tell my players that Donovan makes life easy ( with wide- open look at 3- pointers).”
What’s also been impressive to people is Donovan’s footwork. That’s something eventual New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau noticed when he came to see Clingan in action last season.
“He said Donovan’s footwork at his age was elite,” Barrette said. “Coming from someone who now coaches the New York Knicks is a huge compliment.”
Pinone played against the likes of Patrick Ewing when he was a three- time All- Big East Conference selection at Villanova University in the early 1980s, before going on to play professionally in the NBA, CBA and overseas. The 6- 8 Pinone admittedly does not know Clingan personally, but he does know what it takes to be successful at the next level and beyond.
“I think the biggest thing that will make him really great is what is his demeanor? If he is a nice guy, he won’t max out to his potential,” Pinone said. “If he plays with an edge, with some nastiness and a chip on his shoulder, I think he can be a big- time great player.
“Eventually, the playing field levels off and you are playing against guys with the same size and skill set. Will he say, ‘ This is my territory, no one comes in here, I dominate in here. Come in my lane, guess what? It’s a nowin situation for you.’”
Pinone didn’t play in the era of the 3- point shot, so the lane was much more clogged back then, not giving a lot of space for the big men to operate. It is a much different game now — one Clingan has and will continue to thrive in.
“I wish I had his height when I was 18. I’d be a multimillionaire three times over,” Pinone said.