2022 Recruiting: Donovan Clingan Update

[husky429]

Sick pass here.

Every time you see these clips it's extraordinary how big he is. A bunch of kids on that court are 6'+... which in the normal people world is pretty tall.

It's just ridiculous to see a 7'2 giant playing against normal HS kids. It looks like if I played against a 5th-grade team.

 

[jibsey]

Every time you see these clips it's extraordinary how big he is. A bunch of kids on that court are 6'+... which in the normal people world is pretty tall.

It's just ridiculous to see a 7'2 giant playing against normal HS kids. It looks like if I played against a 5th-grade team.

I don't really think you can tell much when he plays against munchkins. Show me a clip against a high recruit center.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I don't really think you can tell much when he plays against munchkins. Show me a clip against a high recruit center.

 

[BGesus4]

Wow, Miranda can really shoot it

 

[Huskyforlife]

Wow, Miranda can really shoot it

Hed be a great fit with Don on the floor.

 

[husky429]

Hed be a great fit with Don on the floor.

They couldn't play together in all but very specific matchups. We would be a disaster defensively.

 

[jibsey]

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.

 

[husky429]

I watched 1 game when Donovan played vs. Vince Ichukwu (#11 composite). This was about 9 months ago, I believe. Here were the stats and my thoughts... Both of these guys are super raw. What some of ya'll (including myself) forget sometimes is that bigs develop LATE. Just being huge is worth the ranking. 7'2 and 260lbs is a handicap in this game that guards and wings just don't have.

Donovan Stats:

6 PTS
9 REB (3 offensive)
2 AST

2 TO
1 STL
2 BLK

1/13 FG (8%)
4/9 FT (44%)

Vince Stats:

15 PTS
5 REB
0 AST

1 TO
0 STL
2 BLK

5/12 FG (42%)
5/8 FT (63%)

Overall: Spartans were clearly outclassed in this one talent-wise. They’re scrappy and tough, but opponent was just bigger and more talented. They could make runs shooting the ball and getting easy buckets the spartans just couldn’t.

On the two big men: Neither of the top 50 bigs in this game inspired me with their play TBH. Neither looked as dominant as I’d expect from someone with their ranking… They basically did all their work when the other big wasn’t playing. I guess it’s different than guards though. Bigs take a long time to develop.

On Donovan:
Atrocious from the field today. Footwork and athleticism severely limit him at both ends. Not a shooter at all, despite what people are saying. Haven’t seen it in a game yet.

IQ seems to be improving with his better competition over the summer. Positional defense and when to contest shots is better than I’ve seen before. Rebounding was solid, really solid. A couple of TOs but they weren’t bad for someone who passes the ball as much as he did. Really excited about his potential as a passer out of the post. Desperately needs an SnC program. I think he’s a guy who will need 18 months or more to change his body and be ready for our level of competition. Needs a PG or redshirt year IMO. High potential with his size and passing ability at the college level.

My train of thought when watching:

Early foul… too slow gave up the and 1 on help

Good block on his matchup early on.

Clearly not as athletic as this other 7 footer or most anyone else on the floor… just looks awkward running and moving more than the other players. He’s also humongous, so it’s not so surprising.

Decent passing out of the post. made the right read, does look a little awkward with it though. Not used to this kind of pressure… he does the weird wagging the ball thing instead of actually making actual pass fakes kids do in middle school.

Seems to drop a bunch of passes, but he also gets A LOT of passes, so I’m not sure if the % is actually bad.

Legit 7’2 or 7’3 if this other kid is really 7’. He’s noticeably taller and thicker.

Rebounding was pretty good defensively… better than I expected considering the height and athleticism of Vince Ichukwu. He did a good job boxing out his match even when he didn’t get the board.

Was THIS close to a nasty putback, but didn’t get high enough to put it in. Wouldn’t been a highlight play.

I think he looks to be contesting at the rim with some more IQ this game than I’ve seen before. Helping early, taking calculated risks. Less waving his arm down at guards and getting the auto-foul from refs.

Doesn’t rebound outside his area. Not mobile going for the ball.

Cannot defend perimeter well.

His passing is MUCH better than Vince’s. Much better. Probably better than Sanogo’s at this point too.

Sitting A LOT of time. 3 or 4x per half. I think it’s a conditioning issue.

I thought his positional defense on Vince Ichukwu was pretty good. Mostly kept him from getting lobs/backdoors and such after he went 3/4 early in the game on those. Both of them defended the other quite well, but both are also very limited offensively.

Looks decently comfortable in handoff/passing situations at the top of the key. His team runs that a lot--very similar to what we do with Sanogo or Whaley.

He had one GREAT pass late in the game. Popped it over his defenders shoulder to a cutting teammate.

Both bigs got a bunch of foul shots, but not many on each other… mostly the smaller guys needing to foul them when they get a mismatch in the post.

Donovan has a habit of claiming he didn’t foul people when he clearly smashed them on the arm on the fast break, and probably could’ve gotten an intentional call… it’s weird. Pick your battles kid.

 

[temery]

 

[Chief00]

Yeah, every time I listen to Donovan I think to myself this is a great kid, exactly the kind of kid we want in this program. He gets what basketball means to the state of Connecticut, and he really wants to be a Husky. I am really looking forward to watching his development over the next four years.

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.

 

[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.