The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
CLING KONG
Slimmer Clingan is back, impactful as ever
STORRS — For the past month, Donovan Clingan has been a near-model roommate, other than the occasional yelling over his performance in video games.
“He stayed competitive through the video games,” his roommate, Alex Karaban, reported. “I could tell if he won or lost.”
More importantly, Clingan staved off the sweet stuff. No Christmas cookies, as coach Dan Hurley had warned back on Dec. 23. As little calories as possible, especially since the foot injury that kept Clingan out of five straight UConn men’s basketball games prevented him from burning them very easily.
Hurley wanted the 7-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore to shed some pounds. For one, it would allow Clingan to get back to the energetic, mobile freshman so key in UConn’s 2022-23 championship run. More importantly, it would take pressure off his feet, always a concern for big men.
Clingan took Hurley’s words seriously and dropped about 10 pounds.
“I realized ... it would be better for my feet, better for my body,” Clingan said Wednesday night, after making a triumphant return to the Huskies’ rotation. “I really locked into watching what I was eating, cutting down the calories. I wasn’t really active, so it’s hard to burn calories. So, I was focusing on what’s going to be best for me to help this team when I come back.”
There was no guarantee that Clingan, who suffered his injury in the second half of UConn’s loss at Seton Hall on Dec. 20, would return on Wednesday night. Hurley noted that “Cling Kong Watch” would be in full effect this week, but hinted it might be more likely Clingan returned on Saturday in Philadelphia against Villanova.
And so, Cling Kong Watch began in earnest two hours prior to Wednesday’s game against 18th-ranked Creighton. There was Clingan working out in warmups, looking pretty good. But he had done that three days earlier prior to the Georgetown game, only to watch the game from the bench in civilian clothes.
When Clingan came back out still in warm-ups for layup lines, it seemed more likely that he would play. And when he led the Huskies out of the locker room about five minutes before tip-off like he always does (when healthy), dressed in full uniform, it was official: Cling Kong was back.
“It really was my decision,” Clingan said. “They wanted what’s best for me. We
talked to all the doctors, there were no issues, no worries about my foot. It really just came down to conditioning, my wind, they didn’t want me too tired out there. Me and coach talked, and it was right.”
For the first time this season, Clingan didn’t start, yielding the starting center position to Samson Johnson. He first checked into the game at the 11:42 mark, played five minutes in the first half, and though he had just two points and two rebounds, UConn outscored Creighton 15-4 during his minutes.
“His impact offensively is one thing, but defensively, his ability to protect the rim is elite,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “We have (7-footer Ryan) Kalkbrenner down there that can block and discourage some shots. I think Donovan’s the same way. It’s not just the ones he blocks, it’s the ones you don’t take because he’s there. They don’t show up on the stat sheet, but they certainly affect the other team’s offense.”
On a 10-15-minute limit, Clingan got more run in the latter half. There was rust on some of his finishes, but there was also an alley-oop slam off a lob from frosh Stephon Castle, and later a lefty hook shot.
In 15 minutes, Clingan wound up with six points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the Huskies’ 62-48 win. Not awe-inspiring, but not bad considering he had only two full practices under his belt.
Still, those numbers weren’t the most important thing. Neither was 270, Clingan’s current weight and about where Hurley wanted him to be. The most important thing was that the No. 1-ranked Huskies, who went 5-0 sans Clingan and are now 16-2 overall, have now added a potential 2024 NBA lottery pick back to their rotation.
“With Donovan back, we’re going to become more dangerous and better on both ends of the court, and on the backboard,” Hurley said. “Donovan’s one of the most impactful players in the country. You lose your most impactful player, bad stuff starts happening. You see it across the country with teams. Having Donovan back is going to change everything.”
“He’s going to elevate the play of everyone around him,” Hurley continued. “I thought Samson was better tonight than he’s been. He battled his butt off today.”
Ah yes, Samson. The 6-11 junior performed admirably in Clingan’s absence. He scored a career-high 16 points while keeping St. John’s star center Joel Soriano largely in check in his first start on Dec. 23, and was remarkably efficient in the five games without Clingan, shooting 76% (19-for-25) from the floor.
Johnson has also picked up four fouls in five of the last six games, including Wednesday night, and has hardly been a force on the boards. Different type of player than Clingan, more finesse and open floor than rugged Big East bully. Johnson finished with four points and three rebounds in 23 minutes on Wednesday, but that tells only part of the story. He helped harass Kalkbrenner all night, holding him to just five shots and 11 rather harmless points.
“Knowing he had Donovan supporting him on the bench, I think psychologically, it helped him,” Hurley said.
Clingan certainly appreciated the help Johnson has given his team during his absence.
“Samson held it down,” Clingan said. “Even today, he played great defense on Kalkbrenner, boxing out, defending the ball, defending the rim. I’m proud of Samson. I see how hard he’s worked. He’s going to keep improving. Me and him are going to keep getting better every day, playing together and working to make each other better.”
And that’s a scary thought for UConn’s future opponents.