2022 Recruiting: Donovan Clingan Update

[jibsey]

Sanogo is light years ahead of Donovan athletically and footwork from the clips as he should be. Clingan is not a leaper but he does not have to be at 7’2” against current HS players (unchallenged) but and he doesn’t power up well from inside and even at that height will get blocked a lot going back up. Project I understand but quickness and jumping ability are not likely to change because that’s DNA. He doesn’t seem to pump fake and I know in HS he doesn’t need to but in college it will be different because 6’8” guys will block him. By junior year he will be a great asset for the team IMO with effort and coaching.

 

[businesslawyer]

I think the warning to the fan base to give this young man time to reach his potential is well aimed. He is the tallest player we’ve had since Thabeet. Thabeet went from a stiff as a freshman to a solid starter as a sophomore to an all conference player and a lottery pick in his third year.

Players that tall need more time to develop. Those who don’t -- Alcindor or Walton — are not just really good but great.

 

[Get a Job]

He’s a good teammate. Has very good relationships with guys he plays with. Not selfish at all. Of course, Chief likes to have his Bigs have that mean streak too and that’s something he needs to work on since it’s not his nature.

I would love to see what George Blaney could have done with either Adama or Sanogo.

That's an interesting hypothetical, but what I'd really like to know is what Raphael Chillious could have done with either Isaiah or Whaley.

 

[Magic32]

I would love to see what George Blaney could have done with either Adama or Sanogo

Here I always thought they were one in the same

 

[GetTheFacts]

It's tough to tell how good he really is. He plays against kids that are 6 feet tall, and he didn't face much high-level talent on the AAU circuit. And when he did, he certainly wasn't dominant. Could see him being VERY raw and not playing much at all next season.

 

[RichZ]

I would love to see what George Blaney could have done with either Adama or Sanogo.

Trying to find the hidden meaning in this bit of ChiefSpeak.

 

[nomar]

I think the warning to the fan base to give this young man time to reach his potential is well aimed. He is the tallest player we’ve had since Thabeet. Thabeet went from a stiff as a freshman to a solid starter as a sophomore to an all conference player and a lottery pick in his third year.

Players that tall need more time to develop. Those who don’t -- Alcindor or Walton — are not just really good but great.

Couldn't agree more.

I will say, though, that although Thabeet made a leap from his FR year to his SO one, he wasn't really a stiff (he averaged 4 bpg) as a FR and, more to the point, I remember seeing things start to click for him during his FR year. I specifically remember watching him in MSG* and being very impressed and extremely excited about the future. I hope that sort of thing happens with Clingan but, in any event, the point remains that patience is key. He's gigantic and skilled and he will be a good player for us -- probably just not right away.

*Per Basketball Reference, we played SJU about halfway through the season and HT had 12, 10 & 7 blocks in a win.

 

[nomar]

Here I always thought they were one in the same

 

[husky429]

It's tough to tell how good he really is. He plays against kids that are 6 feet tall, and he didn't face much high-level talent on the AAU circuit. And when he did, he certainly wasn't dominant. Could see him being VERY raw and not playing much at all next season.

Every fan of this program should expect him to be VERY raw and barely play next season. His defense is not going to be up to Hurley's standard. Very few freshmen get many minutes on great teams as we will be.

He's going to be a true freshman with no post-grad experience--most of our players are not this young coming in. I would say there is a strong likelihood he redshirts; it's possible we've already planned for that.

I expect with hard work on his skills and in the strength room, he will be a good to great player by the time he's an upperclassman. It's hard to not have an impact on the court when you're a 7'2 giant.

 

[auror]

On the raw bigs front, consider Zach Edey.

7'4" big from Purdue. He was incredibly raw in HS (didn't play basketball growing up) and despite playing for a strong program (IMG), didn't really do much nor garner much recruiting recognition (300+ prospect, but got the Purdue offer based on size/potential). He was on IMG's 2nd team the all-important junior year.

Freshman year he played a third of Purdue's minutes as the 4th big. He had an impact when he played, but they couldn't play him any more than that. Too raw, too many better options. This year he has gotten so good he pretty much evenly splits time with a pre-season All-American. He's a monster. He improved his finishing, rebounding, foul drawing, foul committing, and especially his passing.

That would be a quick timeline for Donovan, but we're going to need to be patient with him.

 

[Ricker]

@auror I agree with your basic points. I'm only posting this because I don't want to give the Purdue staff some extra credit for uncovering a gem. I saw him play twice in high school in person, and what he is doing now is just more of the same. I think Edey's HS ranking says more about the ranking services than Purdue's coaching staff. In my view the services undervalue these big kids, at least for college impact.

Edey and Mark Williams were IMG's centers when Sanogo played against them at Hoophall. The only reason he didn't start was because 7' Williams was on the same team. I had never heard of Edey before the game but wrote here on the Boneyard that he was huge and was an impressive player with skills. I posted Zach Edey (IMG), Harold Yu (Sierra Canyon), Hunter Dickinson (Dematha), were among a group of impressive kids that were solidly over 7' and 250lbs with skills. Its not about me spotting talent because the potential was as obvious as Clingan's, and Dickinson's.

The key is a coaching staff that will play the game to a big kid's strengths, and, surround him with some other talent. We played Thabeet defensively in the lane and rode his shot blocking without asking him to play offensively beyond his capabilities. Tacko Fall caused Central Florida to briefly be basketball relevant, but the coaches didn't surround him with quality. Dickinson did a lot to make Michigan formidable last year. Clingan will have success here. He will score in the post when he gets deep position or his defender has to help. He'll pass out of double teams, and teammates like Karaban are going to get better looks. It is up to Hurley to play to the kid's strengths and figure out how to keep him in the lane defensively. My only reservation with regard to development, is learning how to stay in the game and not get fouls called on him reaching or just being big. I'm only expecting 10-12 minutes a game as a freshman, but I am expecting results in those minutes.

 

[uconnfan68]

Based on that clip, Donovan has a lot of work to do. Not much power and quickness going to the hoop. Glad we have him though.

Just based on that, there is no way he'll be a hard hedge guy. He did seem to have good court vision on offense. Needs to be much stronger and dunk everything.

 

[husky429]

The key is a coaching staff that will play the game to a big kid's strengths, and, surround him with some other talent. We played Thabeet defensively in the lane and rode his shot blocking without asking him to play offensively beyond his capabilities.

Right on the money. We CANNOT have Clingan hard hedging constantly on the perimeter. It will be an unmitigated disaster for him. Park the kid in the post and limit his hard hedge to when the other team has a big that can shoot (rare in college).

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Thanks for posting this. Unlike the typical edited highlight video, this one gives a balanced look into Donovan’s strengths and weaknesses.

Shows he’ll have difficulty initially guarding mobile bigs who can shoot from deep. Also needs to work on getting down the court faster on D as he’s the last line of defense.

Lots to like though. Good footwork, passing ability, and he works hard (effort) on the court.
If he becomes stronger and quicker, he’s going to be dominant.

 

[Rico444]

Couldn't agree more.

I will say, though, that although Thabeet made a leap from his FR year to his SO one, he wasn't really a stiff (he averaged 4 bpg) as a FR and, more to the point, I remember seeing things start to click for him during his FR year. I specifically remember watching him in MSG* and being very impressed and extremely excited about the future. I hope that sort of thing happens with Clingan but, in any event, the point remains that patience is key. He's gigantic and skilled and he will be a good player for us -- probably just not right away.

*Per Basketball Reference, we played SJU about halfway through the season and HT had 12, 10 & 7 blocks in a win.

I'm not sure what BL's issue with Thabeet is, but he said the same kind of thing about him a few months ago and I responded showing that Thabeet was top 10 in the country in blocks per game as a Freshman, along with a healthy RPG number. He definitely had a long way to go as a player, but calling him a stiff is completely unfair.

 

[superjohn]

It's funny how screwy they are with heights. Clingan is listed at 7'0 or 7'1 all the time and Miranda is listed at 7'0 or 7'1 all the time. In reality Clingan is 2 or 3 inches taller than Miranda. Clingan is the weird player who gets listed shorter than his actual height.

 

[cap10dingus]

I see and have always seen Jake Voskuhl from this kid, I can't unsee it. He's taller but in an age where everyone is taller his height will likely make less of an impact. I just don't see the high end upside here but he's going to play minutes and make us better. Now everyone can be a monster.

 

[superjohn]

I see and have always seen Jake Voskuhl from this kid, I can't unsee it. He's taller but in an age where everyone is taller his height will likely make less of an impact. I just don't see the high end upside here but he's going to play minutes and make us better. Now everyone can be a monster.

That's actually not true but you are far from alone in thinking that. Players are actually smaller now than when Jake played. There are only a few NBA players with a larger frame than Clingan, he's going to be bigger than everyone he plays against. Strength and conditioning program should be huge for him.

 

[auror]

That's actually not true but you are far from alone in thinking that. Players are actually smaller now than when Jake played. There are only a few NBA players with a larger frame than Clingan, he's going to be bigger than everyone he plays against. Strength and conditioning program should be huge for him.

Yeah the peak NBA weight was ~2013. It increased basically every year before that since the 50s, and has since started dipping. It's now plateaued to about what it was around when Jake was a rookie in 2000.

 

[borninansonia]

I see and have always seen Jake Voskuhl from this kid, I can't unsee it. He's taller but in an age where everyone is taller his height will likely make less of an impact. I just don't see the high end upside here but he's going to play minutes and make us better. Now everyone can be a monster.

Jake set the best picks of any big in UConn history that I can recall. If Clingan learns to set screens like Jake did, he will be a big time player for UConn.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah the peak NBA weight was ~2013. It increased basically every year before that since the 50s, and has since started dipping. It's now plateaued to about what it was around when Jake was a rookie in 2000.

Yep. It's pretty wild, players are the shortest they've been in the NBA in 41 years and they're the lightest they've been in the 21st century. These charts give a great breakdown...

70 Years of Height Evolution in the NBA [4,504 players analyzed] | RunRepeat

70 Years of Height Evolution in the NBA [4,504 players analyzed]

“You can’t teach height” - Red Auerbach We spent 2 months

runrepeat.com

 

[superjohn]

Jake set the best picks of any big in UConn history that I can recall. If Clingan learns to set screens like Jake did, he will be a big time player for UConn.

Jake is the most underrated player I've seen at UConn. He's the classic guy where the stats don't show his true value. He did all the little super important things that help you win and don't get you much of the fanfare. As you stated he set the best screens. He also was great at quickly throwing the outlet to get the break started, played excellent position D, was great at boxing out and would tip it out if he couldn't secure it. Just a really smart player who always gave maximum effort.

 

[Umami Zen]

Has DC even stopped growing yet? Think about that.. He is still growing into his young body.. A young giraffe.

Once he's got his footwork figured out and his SnC...He'll be an asset in the right scheme.

Got to get some "lift" in his springs to be dominant

 

[businesslawyer]

I see and have always seen Jake Voskuhl from this kid, I can't unsee it. He's taller but in an age where everyone is taller his height will likely make less of an impact. I just don't see the high end upside here but he's going to play minutes and make us better. Now everyone can be a monster.

Holy crap. We’re afraid that “all” this kid will be is a four year starter and national champion?

Don’t get me wrong — I’d love to see him be an All American level player too, but he’s so raw from all reports that no one can know how high his ceiling will be after he improves strength and conditioning and learns how to play against high level opponents. But that is so far away in his development that it’s not worth worrying about. He is not looked at nationally as the next Walton or Alcindor. He’s a Top 50 recruit, not a consensus #1. For now, if he becomes Jake we and he will be fine.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Holy crap. We’re afraid that “all” this kid will be is a four year starter and national champion?

Don’t get me wrong — I’d love to see him be an All American level player too, but he’s so raw from all reports that no one can know how hithroat his ceiling will be after he improves strength and conditioning and learns now to play against high level opponents. But that is so far away in his development that it’s not worth worrying about. He is not looked at nationally as the next Walton or Alcindor. He’s a Top 50 recruit, not a consensus #1. For now, if he becomes Jake we and he will be fine.

Yep. We'd like him to be great but if DC's floor is JV's ceiling, it's a win.

Bottom line the kid is a top 40 recruits and recruits in that range have a wide variance of on court performance. It's not a slam dunk he starts four years and ends up averaging 17 and 12 for his career.

 

[PAHusky]

He's 7'+.

If he ran like a gazelle and shot well from deep at 18 he'd be a generational talent and an tabbed to be an all time great.

You can't teach size. A year or two in the S+C program at UConn and we're looking at a very, very good college player.

 

[CL82]

He's 7'+.

If he ran like a gazelle and shot well from deep at 18 he'd be a generational talent and an tabbed to be an all time great.

You can't teach size. A year or two in the S+C program at UConn and we're looking at a very, very good college player.

This. I think people are being a little overly critical of a high school kid who has decent size and reasonable foot work. Does his game look like a college upper classmen? No, why would it? Give him a year or two in a college strength and conditioning program and he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. In the meantime he has sufficient size and skill to contribute behind Sanogo.

 

[Chief00]

Yeah the peak NBA weight was ~2013. It increased basically every year before that since the 50s, and has since started dipping. It's now plateaued to about what it was around when Jake was a rookie in 2000.

Jake was naturally very strong and ran better than Donovan. Donovan may have better offensive skills? As Chief recalls, Jake only average about 10 points per game in HS. His teammate, who was the bigger points guy, also signed with UConn. He later transferred out.
While not a great shot blocker compared to Emeka or Brimah - Jake’s post defense was exceptional. Jim use to call him his “Rim Protector”. I also agree he was one of the best screeners Chief has seen. A good two handed above the head outlet pass guy too.

 

[UCfor3]

Jake was naturally very strong and ran better than Donovan. Donovan may have better offensive skills? As Chief recalls, Jake only average about 10 points per game in HS. His teammate, who was the bigger points guy, also signed with UConn. He later transferred out.
While not a great shot blocker compared to Emeka or Brimah - Jake’s post defense was exceptional. Jim use to call him his “Rim Protector”. I also agree he was one of the best screeners Chief has seen. A good two handed above the head outlet pass guy too.

Michael LeBlanc

 

[karstenkibbe]

Jake was naturally very strong and ran better than Donovan. Donovan may have better offensive skills? As Chief recalls, Jake only average about 10 points per game in HS. His teammate, who was the bigger points guy, also signed with UConn. He later transferred out.
While not a great shot blocker compared to Emeka or Brimah - Jake’s post defense was exceptional. Jim use to call him his “Rim Protector”. I also agree he was one of the best screeners Chief has seen. A good two handed above the head outlet pass guy too.

I’m with Chief on this one. Jake was chiseled and was fairly athletic for a 6’10-6’11 guy. I don’t see him when I watch DC. The closer comp for me is Travis Knight. While DC has much more bulk than TK had, both give off that baby giraffe vibe athletically and in terms of coordination/body movement. Travis developed a nice 10-12 foot jumper and could score close-in. No matter how you slice it, Jake and Travis spent nine and seven years respectively in the NBA. I’d be thrilled to see Donovan reach those levels of success.