National scouting director breaks down UConn’s No. 3-ranked class
UConn’s Clingan visits Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo have entered the NBA Draft. Andre Jackson Jr. and Tristen Newton may follow their lead.
Dan Hurley and his UConn men’s basketball coaching staff knew the Huskies could lose a player (or four) to the pros once this season concluded, national title or not.
“This is why,” Hurley said, “we went out and invested the time in the 2023 class.”
The Huskies invested wisely. UConn’s five-man recruiting class of Stephon Castle, Solomon Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross and Youssouf Singare is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation by 247Sports.com. That ranking isn’t likely to change much, if at all, when the site updates its rankings in a couple of weeks.
The quintet, which
NEW HAVEN — Donovan Clingan walked into the playroom at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, all 7-foot-2 of him, and naturally the littlest patient in the room was right there by the door, staring up and coming up to about his kneecap.
It remained about that adorable over about a halfhour’s visit as the UConn men’s basketball freshman sensation from Bristol went around the room, talking with kids, signing autographs, posing for pictures.
“Making people happy is something I always try to do,” Clingan said. “To see these kids, what they’re going through, the struggle they face ... to make them happy and bring a smile to their face means a lot to me.”
A statewide celebrity at Bristol Central, Clingan’s star grew even more this season as a UConn freshman, helping the Huskies to the NCAA championship on April 3 with a 7659 win over San Diego State in Houston. He said he’s mostly focused on getting ready for next year; he announced not a week after the championship that he plans to be back for a chance to repeat.
Clingan’s visit was part of a Dunkin’ initiative that will benefit Connecticut Children’s and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospitals.
On May 23, “National Iced Coffee Day,” Dunkin’ will donate $1 for each iced coffee sold at participating stores (excluding Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew) to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation to benefit the two hospitals, the company said in a release.
“I’ve had some teammates work with them a little bit,” Clingan said. “They just reached out to me (and asked) do you want to hang out with the kids a little bit. I told them I was definitely interested, I’d love to do that.”
Dunkin’ said the foundation has given out $30 million in grants since 2006 to bring “the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness.”
Cynthia Sparer, the hospital’s executive director, said the foundation has granted over $630,000 to programs here.
“You see one right there entertaining, and that’s our dogs,” Sparer said — Nana may have been more popular than Clingan and definitely got more belly rubs.
“We have two of them, and it’s thanks to our relationship with Dunkin’ and the Dunkin’ foundation that’s giving us the money that it takes to support these dogs. They live here at the hospital. They’re cared for by members of our staff.”
Sparer said there are several other hospital initiatives funded by the grants.
“We have music and art therapy programs, anything from sitting with a child to help make a song,” Sparer said, “or help make a piece of art, or even for our littlest babies