Debate: Is Clingan Best Player in Big East?
The Story: Opinions vary about how good Donovan Clingan will be this season and where he belongs on various preseason lists that multiple media outlets have already published.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Big East coaches voted Clingan onto the preseason all-conference second team, which means UConn’s sophomore center was rated no higher than the sixth-best player in the conference.
• On a national level, Clingan was nowhere to be found on the AP Preseason All-America team, even as an honorable mention. The Athletic lists him as a second-team Preseason All-American, and CBS and Fox Sports have him as a third-teamer, while ESPN’s Dick Vitale didn’t include Clingan on either his first, second or third All-America teams.
LET THE DEBATE BEGIN: Some would say Clingan is severely underrated and deserves more recognition than he’s getting. But does he, considering he only averaged 13 minutes a game last season?
• So, here’s the debate: Is Clingan the best player in the Big East? The Daily’s John Silver and David Kull make a compelling case for both sides of the argument before our resident judge, The Honorable Zac Boyer, renders a verdict.
YES: He’s Already Way Underrated
Yes. I am the biggest Clingan stan in the nation. Why? Because I believe in evidence.
Every argument that we’re just projecting his potential is ignoring the data. People ask for proof that Clingan is the top player in the Big East and one of the top players in the nation. We already have that evidence. Advanced metrics, taken last season when Clingan played 13.7 minutes per game, are off the charts. I get it. How can we say a player who averaged only 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game is one of best players in the country? Easy. Stats.
When we account for playing time, Clingan is one of the best players in the country already:
• Per 40 minutes: 21.1 points, 17.7 rebounds, 5.5 blocks
• Per 100 possessions played: 30.8 points, 25.1 rebounds, 8 blocks
Those are eye-popping numbers, and his 82.6 defensive rating is off the charts. It means that in 100 possessions with Clingan on the floor, opponents scored 83 points. He is flat out a better defensive player by the eye test and the metrics than Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Are you wondering if he can do it with more playing time? How about when Dan Hurley played Clingan more than 15 minutes in a game last year? Clingan did that in 11 games and averaged 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in 18.1 minutes. In the two games he played more than 20 minutes, he averaged 16 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in 21 minutes per game.
Clingan is a year older, a year stronger and a year better, and Hurley is going to play him 25 minutes a night. Buy stock in him now.
— John Silver (john@uconndaily.com)
NO: Prove It First
To be the conference’s best player, you need to prove it. Clingan has yet to do that.
He needs to show how well he can perform with extended playing time. Clingan will be counted on to play at least 25-30 minutes per night. But can he sustain a high level of production or will fatigue seriously curtail his impact?
If you simply took his freshman numbers and doubled them, here’s the stat line: 26 minutes, 13.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game. Granted, those are solid big man numbers that would prove Clingan is a difference-maker.
Here’s the thing: The five players named to the Preseason All-Big East first team averaged more than 30 minutes per game last season. Plus, three of the five are returning all-conference performers. It makes no sense to place Clingan ahead of them. Not yet, at least.
Another thought: Clingan might not be the best player on his own team! So, while Clingan is a great player who projects as an NBA lottery pick, let’s not crown him the Big East’s best until he has provided sufficient evidence to back it up.
— David Kull (david@uconndaily.com)
THE VERDICT: NO
All rise! The court has heard compelling arguments from both sides, but one point stands out: Clingan, as noted, must prove he’s the best player in the Big East. Just because a player has significant potential as a pro does not make him an excellent college player.
With such a limited opportunity as a freshman, Clingan needs to be able to show he can reliably play 25-28 minutes a game. That’s what Hurley asked of Adama Sanogo — and what Greg McDermott asks of Kalkbrenner, who was on the court for 32.2 minutes a game last season.
Thank you, jury, for your service today. Court is adjourned.
— Zac Boyer (zac@uconndaily.com)
Tennessee’s Up Next for Struggling Huskies
The Story: The football team plays No. 19 Tennessee this week and we aren’t really sure how much juice there is as the Huskies (1-7) limp into the final quarter of the season.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn is getting $1.8 million to play this game, and at this point in the season, that’s the highlight. Jim Mora‘s press conference lasted a stunning six minutes yesterday (that’s not a shot at Mora; there was a lack of questions, it appears), and as 35-point underdogs, this has all the feeling of a body bag game of the highest order. So, what’s in it for UConn except a paycheck?
• Mora was adamant there’s reason for hope. The Huskies’ record is poor, but they have been competitive in all but one game this year and are looking to clean up mistakes that have cost them wins. UConn has lost four games by seven or fewer points and had chances in the fourth quarter in five of their seven losses.
WHAT DID MORA SAY? “That’s what you have to have, no matter if you’re undefeated or you’ve never won a game. You have to have that consistency of intensity, of work ethic, of focus, of preparation, all of those things that help you get better. And our guys, one of the great things about them is they continue to do that. If they can continue to do that and fight like crazy, then good things are going to happen.”
ROSA TO RETURN: Running back Victor Rosa is set to return from an ankle injury on Saturday and will likely split time with Cam Edwards, who has 38 rushes for 238 yards — an average of 6.2 yards per carry — and two touchdowns in the last two games. Rosa has had a good year as well with 78 rushes for 405 yards — good for 5.2 yards per carry — and two touchdowns.
— John Silver (john@uconndaily.com)
Top photo: Donovan Clingan drives to the rim in the Huskies’ game against Georgetown. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
