Hey Guys,
There have been many great posts in this thread RE: Clingan & his development.
Donovan IS 7'2" & IS slowly growing into his body & his coordination is following behind. He's still a pup. Aint no NBA player yet or even a good Div I center either. Not enough rebound production - & that's knowing where the ball comes off the rim percentages wise (c'mon coaches, help the kid out, ok?!?).
DC doesn't have great natural touch in his hands & he hasn't been working on his footwork nor his free-throws as maniacally as Kareem did at the same stage. That's fact I know of first hand. I watched Kareem practice those all the time at the downtown courts in my neighborhood - Father Demo Square in NYC. Ha!
Some of Clingan's lack of coordination & stamina is due to his foot injury too. And that may not be ready for the tournament this year, needs rest.
There is a big man drill called the "Mikan Drill" that helps big men with their footwork & ability to shoot with left or right hand in rhythm up close.
In this drill, the guy stands about 1-2' facing in front of the rim. Takes a step to his right, jumps off left foot & shoots w/ right. Dunks or puts the ball off the backboard into the rim.
Catches the ball as it goes through the rim, KEEPING THE BALL UP - a HUGE CLINGAN FAULT, then he steps to the other side of the rim & jumps off his right foot. Then dunks or banks it in off the rim. Repeat this Mikan Drill back & forth a thousand times until you get the rhythm, floor spacing & footwoork coordinated. Those Mikans even helped Kareem with the footwork on his Sky Hook.
That's what Clingan needs for offense at this stage. Simple repetitive footwork drills.
Jump hooks - YES, which he must develop with either hand are next for Donovan along with giving himself enough room to operate around the rim - & not receiving passes under the rim. This will get him to the free-throw line more often.
Note: UConn guards MUST learn to hit Clingan right where he wants it high up in his open hand - and in rhythm! Not great at doing that so far on that.
BUT - what Donovan Clingan MUST NOT DO? Is to always bring the ball down as he sets his footwork for a shot. I watch defenses look for that common Big Man weakness in him. When he brings the ball down, DC is no longer 7'2", he's 6'5". And even helping guards easily take the ball away from him all the time when he does that. That's his worst habit as a post player to date.
Free-throws. Clingan's form is pretty good. But he needs more practice because his release is all over the place - a tell-tale sign that he's not on the line much.
Three things. DC needs to bend his knees more on FT's. DC also needs to put less "hand" on the ball - & more fingertips on his release. Finally, Clingan needs to put more arch on his free-throws.
More fingertips & arch will really soften his shot, so he'll get more rolls when he typically goes long on his FT shot & hits the back of the rim.
Once he gets those three things sorted out, then..he needs again what? ..more repetition & FT practice every day AND NIGHT all year long. He must get his concentration down better. Repetition!!!
But then again, Donovan Clingan IS 7'2" tall & still a kid. How many of guys that tall have ever broken 65% for a season, ever? His body is catching up, so I'll cut him some slack but... CLINGAN'S 50% ON FT'S RATE will kill UConn in the tournament. "Sting-a-Cling" strategy? Ha!
The next time I see a guard take the ball away from Clingan in the post when he's bringing the ball down for a shot. I'll curse & thenget on his okole! I still really like his undeveloped game. He has a lot of heart - something you don't see much of in the NBA these days, just flashes.
Lotsa you's guys know about the Mikan Drill, right?
Father Demo
