Four star center Donovan Clingan commits to UConn men’s basketball

UConn men’s basketball didn’t have to travel very far to add on to its 2022 recruiting class. Four star center Donovan Clingan, a Bristol, Connecticut native, announced his commitment to the Huskies on Friday night.

Clingan, a 7-foot-1 center, chose the Huskies over Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence and Rutgers. Clingan ranks as the No. 44 recruit in the Class of 2022 according to Rivals and joins four-star guard Corey Floyd Jr. in UConn’s class of 2022.

Since Dan Hurley took over at UConn in 2018, he’s made it a priority to land Clingan, who is arguably Connecticut’s best big man prospect since Andre Drummond. During that same span, Clingan has grown into his 7-foot-1 frame and taken a meteoric rise up recruiting lists, gaining high-major scholarship offers along the way.

After being unranked as a sophomore, Clingan used a strong second season at Bristol Central to help lead his team deep into the state playoffs before COVID-19 cut the season short. Shortly after, he rose to 46 in the Rivals Top 100. He was recently named the 2021 Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 27.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, 5.8 blocks and 3.1 assists per game this past season.

The addition of Clingan means that the Huskies have an athletic and offensively polished big man that should play well alongside the likes of Adama Sanogo, Samson Johnson and potentially even Akok Akok.

Clingan already is a solid passer who showed the ability to consistently make the right decision, either taking his defender off the dribble or on the block or passing to the open shooter when double teamed. He runs the floor well and can shoot 3-pointers at a good enough clip to stretch the floor from day one. With a solid arsenal of post moves with either hand and a soft shooting touch, Clingan could be a difference maker offensively right away.

Defensively, he showed the ability to block shots successfully but will need to improve his skills against opponents his size or bigger to become a legitimate two-way threat.

Clingan is UConn’s second 2022 commitment, joining four-star guard Corey Floyd Jr.