NEW YORK – The Bristol Boy is off the board.
With the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft, former Bristol Central then UConn star Donovan Clingan was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Clingan heard his name called three picks after celebrating teammate Stephon Castle, who went to the San Antonio Spurs with the fourth overall pick. He is coach Dan Hurley’s fourth lottery pick at UConn, joining Castle, James Bouknight and former teammate Jordan Hawkins.
It is the first time UConn has had two players selected in the lottery since 2012.
“You dream of this moment your whole life,” Clingan said, after sharing a hug with Castle as he walked to the dais. “You watch it on TV every single year. To have that moment here in front of (me) today and to hear my name called is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. That was a really special moment. Like I said, I’m extremely blessed and grateful for everyone that has helped me to get to this point. I’m ready to get to work and ready to learn and ready to try to impact winning.”
Portland, coached by Chauncey Billups, has a young roster highlighted by electrifying guard Scoot Henderson, who was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft.
“I feel the connection with some of these young guys I’ve watched since I was in high school. Scoot, in particular. I feel like we have a chance to do something really special,” Clingan said. “Having a young team, just growing up around the same age, everyone learning and getting better every day, I’m really excited. I feel like I’m at a loss for words right now. I don’t even know what else to say. I’m just excited and extremely blessed for this opportunity, and I’m really ready to get to Portland and get to work.”
Clingan, a 7-foot-2 center, has been a force at every level he’s played.
As a freshman in his role as a reserve playing behind Adama Sanogo, he gave a glimpse at how impactful he could be, averaging 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in only 13.1 minutes per game.
Beginning with winning MVP of the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland that freshman year, then winning the West Regional in the NCAA Tournament and beating Gonzaga in Seattle this past season, Clingan has had his way on the west coast. And he’s been on Portland’s radar for awhile.
“He was talked about at No. 1, potentially, and a lot of times when you wait maybe a little bit longer than you expect or maybe at the bottom of where you expected, you end up going to an organization that valued you more than the others,” Hurley said. “They’ve been on him doing their homework, I know they’ve been desperate to get him.”
Clingan could’ve gone in the 2023 Draft, and likely would’ve been taken in the first round, but he made the decision to stay in Storrs another year to mature and lead the team as its anchor down low. Once he was fully healthy, his dominance proved itself on the Big East and NCAA Tournament stages.
He was the first player since Patrick Ewing (1984) to post at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in the tournament title game, finishing with 22 and 16 on his way to an All-Tournament selection. Clingan was devastating for opponents during the NCAA Tournament as well, averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team. He was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Region after shutting down Illinois’ game plan with five blocks (that were credited, there were more) to go with his 22 points and 10 rebounds.
On the inside of Donovan Clingan’s jacket: One side is pictures of him and his family, other side him and his mom. pic.twitter.com/8posJZVOus
— Joe Arruda (@joearruda9) June 26, 2024
“Donovan changed my life as a coach forever,” Hurley said. “Nothing’s happening for me that’s happening for me without guys like Donovan and Alex (Karaban) and T-New (Tristen Newton) and Andre Jackson, Adama, Hawk, Cam (Spencer)… It’s great to be a part of this.”
Inspired by his late mother, Stacey Porrini Clingan, Donovan changed the way he looked at basketball when she died of breast cancer in 2018, just as he was finishing up his eighth grade year.
Honoring his mother by staying in Bristol, where she has been inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, Clingan turned down a number of prep school opportunities. He dominated lesser competition in Connecticut, won two state titles with coach Tim Barrette and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state twice as well, averaging 30.3 points, 18.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks in his undefeated senior season.
As far as his draft night style, Clingan sported a classy back suit with a bow tie. On the inside of his jacket, the right side had photos of himself with his family and others who helped him get to this point. On the left, it was just photos of him and his mother.
The back was devoted to UConn, going back-to-back in his time as a Husky.
“He’s just a beautiful person, really,” Hurley said. “When he leaves your program he leaves a void. It’s pretty jarring when he leaves your facility and leaves your organization because of how beloved he was and what he brought to the building every day. The life, the joy, this guy just had so much pop and he raised everyone’s level with his play and with his personality and with his confidence, he had such confidence.”
Clingan chose to remain loyal and local to his roots as he weighed a number of Division I offers, opting to continue his education and pursuit of this NBA Draft moment under the guidance of Hurley’s staff.
The winning never stopped.
At UConn, Clingan was part of 63 wins and only 11 losses as he collected a pair of national titles. UConn won a program record 37 of 40 games, including a Big East record 18 in the conference, on its way to the 2024 national title.
Stephon Castle chosen with No. 4 overall pick by San Antonio Spurs in NBA Draft
