Donovan Clingan will surely be one of the prospects to watch out for in the upcoming NBA drafts. The 2× NCAA champion has been among the driving forces in making UConn a top-notch program. Anyhow, he is not the only one from his family making a name for himself at the college basketball level. The source from where the 7-ft-2 baller draws his inspiration is none other than his mother–Stacey Porrini Clingan.

A force to be reckoned with in the college circuit, Porrini Clingan was among the eminent names in the University of Maine. Moreover, her presence on the basketball court resulted in many glorious moments for the Black Bears. So much so, that the corridors now recognize her as an honorary inductee into its 2023 Hall Of Fame class.

The basketball affair of Stacey Clingan at Maine

Recruited by assistant coach Katie Abrahamson as the first post player, Clingan was an easy choice for the Black Bears’ locker room considering her standout average of 17 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game in High School. Under the guidance of accomplished seniors like Steph Guidi and Catherine Gallant, the 6 ft 4 in athlete built her strong presence within the basketball team through her hard work and perseverance. Moreover, her continuous strive for excellence was reflected in the punctuality she showed for her practice sessions.

Anyhow, her interests weren’t limited to only basketball. Her teammates recall that to keep herself physically fit, she became a distinguished swimmer in High School. Perhaps this was the reason why she didn’t face any injury and didn’t miss out on a single game in her four years. In addition to this, the experience that she gained being associated with basketball, swimming, and sometimes track and field played a pivotal role in keeping her calm and handling the pressure situations well.

Consequently, that paved the way for her to garner some impressive numbers to build an illustrious career.

The resume that Stacey Porrini built as part of the Black Bears

From both ends of the court, Porrini was quite a handful for her opponents. However, it was her defensive abilities that the teams needed to prep for before taking on Maine in any game. Seemingly, Porrini’s tally of 929 rebounds at 7.9 boards per contest ended up being the fifth-best figure in the program’s history. But that was not all. She also has 220 blocks next to her name and holds UMaine’s mark of the most block shots in a single game (7) and foremost blocks in a season (79).

The aforementioned numbers don’t in any way state that she was an offensive liability. Stacey grabs a 17th position in Maine’s career scoring list with a total of 1,128 points while maintaining an average of 9.6 points in each game. This has been instrumental in the Black Bears securing consecutive America East Conference titles.

Further, she also leads them to keep a 61-5 Conference and a 93-26 overall record. This compelled the America East Conference to honor her all-conference honors as a second-team pick in 1996 and 1997. This also made the way for her to participate in three NCAA tournaments which were also the program’s first three appearances ever.

After captaining the team as a senior and mentoring some juniors such as Cindy Blodgett and Sandi Carver, Stacey Clingan decided to hang her boots and dedicate all her time to her family.

Clingan’s life after basketball

Marrying Donovan’s father Bill Clingan completely changed her outlook as she now became family-oriented. She left the sport behind and shifted her focus around her husband Bill, son Donovan and daughter Olivia. While raising her children, Stacey Clingan chose to become an elementary school teacher in her hometown Bristol, Connecticut. Nonetheless, Basketball was a constant topic of discussion in the Clingan household, especially during the March Madness. Despite hailing from Connecticut, Stacey always rooted for Duke. Meanwhile, her husband was a UConn fan and Donovan’s favorite was Michigan.

Unfortunately, in 2010 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery. The surgery made her cancer-free for then but 5 years later, it came back and started spreading quickly. After a prolonged battle of 3 years, she lost the battle and passed away in March 2018. She was 42 at that time. To mark the 30-year-anniversary of Stacey Clingan’s debut, the University of Maine inducted her into the Hall Of Fame in 2023. She was also inducted into the  Bristol Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 courtesy of her school records in rebounds (1,032) and blocks (273).

There is no denying that Stacey Clingan was a true role model. Named all-conference in not one but three sports speaks volumes of the potential she had. Indeed, she is an icon not only for her kids but for the future generation as well.

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