Huskies Keep Clingan On
The Story: Freshman Donovan Clingan has more than made his mark on the No. 8-ranked men’s basketball team. The 7-foot-2 freshman, who was named the MVP at the Phil Knight Invitational on Sunday, has excelled as junior Adama Sanogo‘s backup through eight games.
SKY-HIGH EXPECTATIONS: The hype for Clingan, a four-star recruit who was a top-100 prospect, was considerable even last season. That’s what happens when you’re a scholarship player from a public school in Connecticut (he played at Bristol Central) and you’re taller than 7 feet.
• Even though the Huskies lost Isaiah Whaley to graduation and Akok Akok to Georgetown, Clingan’s role didn’t change much. He was always expected to be part of the supporting cast off the bench, but he’s proving to be more valuable than that.
• Clingan said two weeks ago, after UConn beat UNC Wilmington, that his transition to college is “definitely much smoother than I thought it was going to be.” A year ago, he was beating up on the likes of Southington, Glastonbury and Farmington, so it’s been quite the jump in quality.
RARE HONORS: We can’t begin to venture a guess at the last time a backup won an exempt tournament’s MVP award, but here we are with Clingan, who may add one or two more before his time in Storrs is over.
• Clingan earned the honor with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench on Sunday and averaging 9.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in the wins over Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State during the Phil Knight Invitational. He’s averaging 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 70.5 percent.
WHAT DID CLINGAN SAY? “It feels great. It just shows all of the hard work I put in over the summer, and at the start of this year, battling with Adama every day. It feels good that it’s been paying off and I’ve just got to keep going because we’ve got a long season ahead.”
UP NEXT: The Huskies will be back in action tomorrow night when they host Oklahoma State as part of the Big East/Big 12 Battle. The Cowboys are 5-2 but lost 61-60 at home in the opening week to Southern Illinois.
Morning Reads
• Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd have landed two of the coolest NIL deals in college sports: They’re now endorsing Nerf, a campaign they launched with a battle at the Werth Center. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
• The No. 8-ranked men’s hockey team scored a pair of power-play goals and beat No. 12 Merrimack 3-1 last night on the road. (UConnHuskies.com)
• Former UConn standout Morgan Tuck was promoted to assistant general manager of the Connecticut Sun. Tuck, who won four consecutive national championships with the Huskies, has been working in the team’s front office since she was forced to retire because of injuries in May 2021. (Hartford Courant)
Top photo: Donovan Clingan watches the action during the First Night event at Gampel Pavilion. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
