Class of 2022 big man Donovan Clingan says UConn, Syracuse, Michigan State working ‘really hard’

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-1 Class of 2022 big man from Bristol (CT) Central and the Boston Spartans AAU program, says three schools are recruiting him “really hard.”

“UConn, Syracuse and Michigan State are recruiting me really hard,” Clingan said Monday.

“I’m UConn’s No. 1 recruit, one of Syracuse top recruits and also one of Michigan State’s top recruits.”

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo speaks with Clingan three times a week. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has said Clingan could start for the Orange “now.” UConn coach Dan Hurley has made Clingan a huge in-state priority as the Huskies return to the Big East.

Clingan also holds offers from Virginia Tech, Maryland, Yale, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Boston College, Iowa, Georgetown, Providence and UMass.

He had a Zoom call this past weekend with Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing which went “great,” according to Clingan’s father, Bill.

Unreal.

7-foot sophomore Donovan Clingan dropped 37 points, 28 rebounds and 10 blocks in the opening round of his HS state tournament 😳 (via @Ballislife) pic.twitter.com/kIA6PgRlKN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2020

This weekend, the Spartans will play at an AAU event in Providence where games will be live streamed.

Joe Chatman, Clingan’s coach with the Boston Spartans, raved about his upside.

“Personally, last year I reached out to every coach in our area and told them I thought the kid was the best low-post 14-year-old I’ve ever seen,” Chatman told ZAGSBLOG.

“But what he’s done recently is work on his range. He’s shooting the 3 fairly well for a guy his size. His passing ability for a guy that young, like [Jim] Boeheim was saying when he first saw him last year, out of double-teams is unparalleled. It’s better than most bigs at the college level now.

“His passing ability and his ability to play inside and out is phenomenal for a kid that’s only 16 years old.”

Clingan averaged 24.8 points, 17.2 rebounds and 6.4 blocks last season, per GameTimeCT. He has already has scored over 1,000 career points and grabbed over 750 rebounds.

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