2022 Recruiting: Donovan Clingan

[pj]

It is extremely difficult to project how good a big will be in high school because they don't play many games against other people there size who are D-1 prospects, and you can't expect them to really develop the habits they will need against players their size when they get to college and face them. Period.

You can tell is someone has the tools. The strength. The athleticism. The coordination. But you aren't going to be able to tell how good they'll be at the next level.

Why not? If a player has strength, athleticism, coordination, and tools, then what remains in achieving excellence is coaching, dedication, intelligence, and character to put in the work of skill development. If UConn knows they can provide the coaching, why can't they evaluate his dedication, intelligence, and character? If he has all the ingredients, he will be a success at the next level.

 

[businesslawyer]

Why not? If a player has strength, athleticism, coordination, and tools, then what remains in achieving excellence is coaching, dedication, intelligence, and character to put in the work of skill development. If UConn knows they can provide the coaching, why can't they evaluate his dedication, intelligence, and character? If he has all the ingredients, he will be a success at the next level.

Because not all players take to coaching the same way, and can hear criticism and develop better habits the same way. This seems so easy that we all take it for granted, but for whatever reason not all players develop good habits and skills. See, e.g., Wilson, Sidney.

 

[pj]

Because not all players take to coaching the same way, and can hear criticism and develop better habits the same way. This seems so easy that we all take it for granted, but for whatever reason not all players develop good habits and skills. See, e.g., Wilson, Sidney.

Yes, I know. I just think these traits are evaluable. They can be summed up as dedication, intelligence, and character.

 

[businesslawyer]

Yes, I know. I just think these traits are evaluable. They can be summed up as dedication, intelligence, and character.

If you're evaluating a perimeter player it's easier because if they don't do things the right way, their game will suffer. It's very hard to know about a 7 footer who isn't taking to coaching because the truth is that in public high school there is no need to focus on your fundamentals because you don't need them to dominate.

There was once a highly touted big from Long Island in the 70s -- I want to say Graziano -- who went to South Carolina. I remember reading in Street and Smith's about how great he was going to be, and how dominant, but they ended the description by saying something like "The only potential flaw is that the few times that he played against big, black players (yes, in the 70s people did still talk about race in basketball) he looked like he might be intimidated." Obviously, having to play those types of opponents day in and day out, his career was relatively mediocre.

 

[pj]

If you're evaluating a perimeter player it's easier because if they don't do things the right way, their game will suffer. It's very hard to know about a 7 footer who isn't taking to coaching because the truth is that in public high school there is no need to focus on your fundamentals because you don't need them to dominate.

There was once a highly touted big from Long Island in the 70s -- I want to say Graziano -- who went to South Carolina. I remember reading in Street and Smith's about how great he was going to be, and how dominant, but they ended the description by saying something like "The only potential flaw is that the few times that he played against big, black players (yes, in the 70s people did still talk about race in basketball) he looked like he might be intimidated." Obviously, having to play those types of opponents day in and day out, his career was relatively mediocre.

Interesting counter-example, thanks. There are undoubtedly cases like that, where it is impossible to tell whether he'll mature out of his fear or not. A coach like Jim Calhoun who was a great sports psychologist might have made him a success.

However, in most cases, I think talking to coaches, to other players, to the player himself, building a relationship, asking why things happened the way they did -- over time, you can generally tell what the challenges are. Then you have to judge the probability of overcoming them. The better the coach and staff, and the better the character of the player, the more readily players can overcome their challenges.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Putting up those numbers against a public school whose tallest player is 6’2’’ says nothing about how well he would do against college competition down the road. How is this difficult?

I agree and haven't seen him play, but what large public HS team has a 6'2" center? That's crazy. When I was at Manchester my friend's brother was a small forward at 6'4". I coached RI Catholic middle school hoops (girls) and still in every tournament the boys 7th and 8th grade teams had guys at least 6'4".

 

[CCSUblue]

I agree and haven't seen him play, but what large public HS team has a 6'2" center? That's crazy. When I was at Manchester my friend's brother was a small forward at 6'4". I coached RI Catholic middle school hoops (girls) and still in every tournament the boys 7th and 8th grade teams had guys at least 6'4".

I agree, sounds crazy to me too. My cousin plays at one of the smallest public schools in the state and he's like 6'3". I find it hard to believe the big public schools aren't fielding taller teams.

 

[DB24MTN]

28 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks. Guess that's not good enough? Geez. You guys are tough

I was looking at it from a perspective that the next tallest guy on the court was 6'2". I was also definitely being tough because he had such an advantage over everyone else that I had to look for things he could improve on. That being says he does A LOT of things well and he has three more years of development which is scary. He's going to be a beast, hopefully it's for the good guys.

 

[DB24MTN]

I agree, sounds crazy to me too. My cousin plays at one of the smallest public schools in the state and he's like 6'3". I find it hard to believe the big public schools aren't fielding taller teams.

Trust me, I was shocked as well considering Greenwhich is what, 2000+ strong? They had one of the smaller teams I've seen. It could also just be the fact that he was standing next to a 7' 15 year old that made him look so small, but regardless his matchup was not very big.

 

[DB24MTN]

Heres the dunk. I overreacted to it as I posted in real time but as ucjoet said it brought the house down. Exactly what you like to see.I rarely see high school players dunk (I dont watch prep) so this was very exciting for me.

 

[uconnbill]

What he has done during the summer with AAU should be where you would judge him more than playing in the CCC in Connecticut. He will always be the tallest player on the court this season. Sometimes a young players wants to be playing with friends because soon enough he won't be

 

[FanMan]

Not for nothing, that dunk was pretty impressive. He one dribbled by a defender from the 3 point line and dunked on another. The whole vid isn't there.

 

[FanMan]

Go to @goteamspartans Twitter page. They have the whole vid

 

[navery12]

Shawn McFarland is at the game tonight and posting some video as the game happens

Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) | Twitter

The latest Tweets from Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn). Reporter, @HartfordCourant • Nobody cares, work harder • smcfarland@courant.com • @SpfldCollege ‘18. Hartford, CT

twitter.com

 

[Jaker]

Went to see Clingan tonight vs Wolcott. Tallest kid on the other team was probably 6’0 at best. First half they looked to throw the ball into him consistently and he showed good one dribble power moves to the right. Defensively he was blocking any layup attempt and the other team stopped taking any shots inside the arc. Second half the team didn’t look inside very much but the other team was overmatched. Overall a performance you would expect watching a 7 footer play in the CCC.

Oliver Wolcott??

 

[Austin316]

2022 Recruit.
UConn logo.
I Post.

Not sure of this means top 5 or what...

 

[ToolzieFan]

It's not his top 5; he's only a sophomore. I believe it's just the 5 schools who have offered him so far. I am pretty sure there are a few other high majors interested, but I haven't heard of any more official offers.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's not his top 5; he's only a sophomore. I believe it's just the 5 schools who have offered him so far. I am pretty sure there are a few other high majors interested, but I haven't heard of any more official offers.

Surprised BC isn’t there.

 

[Hoophound]

I hate what AAU and preps have done to high school basketball. Class S had some D1 players back in the day. It’s a shame. CT high school basketball used to be excellent at all levels.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

A coach like Jim Calhoun who was a great sports psychologist might have made [Graziano] a success.

 

[BCF]

I hate what AAU and preps have done to high school basketball. Class S had some D1 players back in the day. It’s a shame. CT high school basketball used to be excellent at all levels.

It is a shame what the CIAC has done to themselves. The prep leagues offer better coaching, more exposure, and a shot clock. Prep schools start their seasons in November. More opportunity to see the kids versus the CIAC when college coaches are playing games. Also prep showcases provide college coaches to see several kids in a day versus ciac where they would only have the opportunity to see 1 kid a day. Team better spend at prep showcases for college coaches. Sorry, but the CIAC stuck in the old times. They do not do a good enough job showcasing players. Too many bad teams. It is easy to see why good players leave the ciac for prep. Also, Clingman plays on a team where he is the only D1 player playing against 6'3 centers. Why in the world would he stay 2 more years in the CIAC. It just doesn't benefit him.

 

[husky429]

It is a shame what the CIAC has done to themselves. The prep leagues offer better coaching, more exposure, and a shot clock. Prep schools start their seasons in November. More opportunity to see the kids versus the CIAC when college coaches are playing games. Also prep showcases provide college coaches to see several kids in a day versus ciac where they would only have the opportunity to see 1 kid a day. Team better spend at prep showcases for college coaches. Sorry, but the CIAC stuck in the old times. They do not do a good enough job showcasing players. Too many bad teams. It is easy to see why good players leave the ciac for prep. Also, Clingman plays on a team where he is the only D1 player playing against 6'3 centers. Why in the world would he stay 2 more years in the CIAC. It just doesn't benefit him.

CIAC is a disaster. I'll stay out of the prep debate. But the coaching does legitimately stink.

I have scouted easily 60 teams in the state. Many multiple times. I watch about 30 games a year excluding fresh/jv/varsity for my own teams. There are many, many coaches in BIG towns who spend 0 time om skill work or shooting. Or play 2-3 zone only. And have no offensive identity. What exactly are you doing in practice then?

Or put 6 kids on a freshman team and wonder why there's only 3 seniors a few years later.

There are also significant issues with coaches instigating and condoning terrible behavior from players. Parent I know said just last night that at Rocky Hill vs. Ellington, the Ellington team needed an escort to the bus from cops because of some idiotic behavior from Rocky Hill kids and coach doing nothing right at the end of the game bc they lost a close game. I hear about this stuff and worse ALL THE TIME

So glad I'm out of CIAC.

Edit: just to be fair this isn't exclusive to CT. Our coach development in the USA from 5th-grade to college stinks.

 

[BCF]

CIAC is a disaster. I'll stay out of the prep debate. But the coaching does legitimately stink.

I have scouted easily 60 teams in the state. Many multiple times. I watch about 30 games a year excluding fresh/jv/varsity for my own teams. There are many, many coaches in BIG towns who spend 0 time om skill work or shooting. Or play 2-3 zone only. And have no offensive identity. What exactly are you doing in practice then?

Or put 6 kids on a freshman team and wonder why there's only 3 seniors a few years later.

There are also significant issues with coaches instigating and condoning terrible behavior from players. Parent I know said just last night that at Rocky Hill vs. Ellington, the Ellington team needed an escort to the bus from cops because of some idiotic behavior from Rocky Hill kids and coach doing nothing right at the end of the game bc they lost a close game. I hear about this stuff and worse ALL THE TIME

So glad I'm out of CIAC.

There are handful of good coaches in the CIAC. But, the majority of them are teachers looking to increase their paycheck. Spend zero time getting better. I go to about 60 prep/ciac games year. I enjoy the prep game more. From the coaching, to the players, and shot clock it is a better and more entertaining game. This year doing less ciac and more prep. Each time I go to a ciac game i regret it.

 

[husky429]

There are handful of good coaches in the CIAC. But, the majority of them are teachers looking to increase their paycheck. Spend zero time getting better. I go to about 60 prep/ciac games year. I enjoy the prep game more. From the coaching, to the players, and shot clock it is a better and more entertaining game. This year doing less ciac and more prep. Each time I go to a ciac game i regret it.

Plenty of good coaches in the CIAC of course. Less and less coaches ARE teachers. That I know for sure. That's a big part of the problem imo. Guys that don't know how to control kids, create good relationships with them, break down skills, etc. can't teach ball. Bball knowledge is useless if you can't teach it. And TBH this isn't a complicated game... if you're open-minded and willing to listen.

 

[Huskyblood]

There are handful of good coaches in the CIAC. But, the majority of them are teachers looking to increase their paycheck. Spend zero time getting better. I go to about 60 prep/ciac games year. I enjoy the prep game more. From the coaching, to the players, and shot clock it is a better and more entertaining game. This year doing less ciac and more prep. Each time I go to a ciac game i regret it.

My daughter played at a prep school and I watched many boys games. Wouldn’t necessarily say coaching is better. I have seen a lot who are very ineffective. Why can’t Sid shoot a basketball? And he came from the top program in the country. There are good and bad coaches in both places (I coach football and girls basketball in CT). CIAC does itself no favors by not allowing coaches to work with players in offseason (plenty would) and no shot clock.

 

[the Q]

CIAC is a disaster. I'll stay out of the prep debate. But the coaching does legitimately stink.

I have scouted easily 60 teams in the state. Many multiple times. I watch about 30 games a year excluding fresh/jv/varsity for my own teams. There are many, many coaches in BIG towns who spend 0 time om skill work or shooting. Or play 2-3 zone only. And have no offensive identity. What exactly are you doing in practice then?

Or put 6 kids on a freshman team and wonder why there's only 3 seniors a few years later.

There are also significant issues with coaches instigating and condoning terrible behavior from players. Parent I know said just last night that at Rocky Hill vs. Ellington, the Ellington team needed an escort to the bus from cops because of some idiotic behavior from Rocky Hill kids and coach doing nothing right at the end of the game bc they lost a close game. I hear about this stuff and worse ALL THE TIME

So glad I'm out of CIAC.

Edit: just to be fair this isn't exclusive to CT. Our coach development in the USA from 5th-grade to college stinks.

Ironically, my senior year my team got a police escort out of Ellington because they lost the game at the buzzer after a wild finish.

 

[husky429]

Ironically, my senior year my team got a police escort out of Ellington because they lost the game at the buzzer after a wild finish.

What goes around comes around!

 

[cohenzone]

Putting up those numbers against a public school whose tallest player is 6’2’’ says nothing about how well he would do against college competition down the road. How is this difficult?

The tallest kid, about 6’7, on my hs team,a good program, sucked. Couldn’t see the floor. Obviously this kid has some ability. He needs challenging competition, but he must be not just big.

 

[Hoophound]

It is a shame what the CIAC has done to themselves. The prep leagues offer better coaching, more exposure, and a shot clock. Prep schools start their seasons in November. More opportunity to see the kids versus the CIAC when college coaches are playing games. Also prep showcases provide college coaches to see several kids in a day versus ciac where they would only have the opportunity to see 1 kid a day. Team better spend at prep showcases for college coaches. Sorry, but the CIAC stuck in the old times. They do not do a good enough job showcasing players. Too many bad teams. It is easy to see why good players leave the ciac for prep. Also, Clingman plays on a team where he is the only D1 player playing against 6'3 centers. Why in the world would he stay 2 more years in the CIAC. It just doesn't benefit him.

That’s one view but this all started with the AAU circuit finding business opportunities. They grew the travel teams, made the commitment level really high and in time degraded high school ball. It’s too bad because the atmosphere at a high school game blows away the environment of an AAU tourney.

 

[Edward Sargent]

That’s one view but this all started with the AAU circuit finding business opportunities. They grew the travel teams, made the commitment level really high and in time degraded high school ball. It’s too bad because the atmosphere at a high school game blows away the environment of an AAU tourney.

I grew up in Norwalk during the Calvin Murphy era. You either went to every one of his games or you listened on the radio. I was so excited when we brought in Steven Enoch. A lot of what is being said applies to public schools in general.