By CHARLIE PARENT & ADAM ZAGORIA
UConn big man Donovan Clingan will return for his sophomore season after and is eyeing another national championship next year.
“I’ll probably just stay here this summer, work out and run it back and try to get No. 6 next year,” he told Andy Katz.
“I want to win, so winning another national championship would be nice,” he added.
The 7-foot-2 former Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year averaged 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 65.5% shooting in just 13 minutes while backing up NCAA Tournament star Adama Sanogo.
Clingan figures to have an even bigger role at UConn next year if Sanogo turns pro. Clingan hopes to showcase his skills more next year to NBA scouts by stepping out and shooting from distance the way modern NBA 7-footers do. “Yeah, well next year we’re going to let him shoot threes and he’s got passing and he’s got ball-handling and he has shooting,” UConn coach Dan Hurley cracked before referring to Clingan’s NBA future. “And he’s obviously going to be an early-entry player at some point.” The Huskies hope to retain much of their core from last season’s national championship squad. Besides Joey Calcaterra (graduation) and potential NBA lottery pick Jordan Hawkins, UConn still awaits many decisions from some key players. Hurley weighed in on Sanogo and Andre Jackson’s futures on Saturday. UConn also brings in the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, featuring five-star Stephon Castle and four-stars Youssouf Singare, Jayden Ross, Solomon Ball, and Jaylin Stewart. Follow Charlie on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookAndre Jackson on @UConnMBB run to the @MarchMadnessMBB title and his future: pic.twitter.com/9UXjHhHiJy
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) April 8, 2023
