Amidst the brilliance of Paige Bueckers, who has undeniably become the focal point of UConn’s women’s basketball prowess, another force has risen in the realm of the Huskies. The UConn Huskies secured a tremendous victory in their recent match against the No.20 ranked Gonzaga, and the credit for that goes to their standout player, Donovan Clingan.

As the final buzzer of the match rang, Clingan became the talk of the town as he dropped 21 points and led the Huskies towards another win. Several fans were left in awe, by his spectacular performance, while many wanted to know more about this young star. The Huskies ended the match with a final score of 76-63, marking it as their tenth win of the ongoing 2023-24 NCAA season.

Rise of another remarkable rookie

Born in 2004, Clinghan is currently playing for the UConn Huskies as a sophomore center. But like every other player, he started as just every other kid with a ball. He started his High School career at Bristol Central, where he was named the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year by averaging 27.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game as a junior. But being dissatisfied with his scores, he upped his game and started to average 30.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks per game as a senior. 

The basketball community quickly realized his talents as he received scholarship offers from several big programs like Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, and many more. But impressed by the UConn, he announced his commitment to play as a Huskie, where he was a backup center for Adama Sanogo. He played a crucial role in helping his team win last season’s champion title by averaging 6.9 points per game. 

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Although many fans anticipated that he would go to the NBA after his Freshman year, he decided to stay and play for the Huskies in his Sophomore year. Notably, Donovan Clingan is keeping the fans on their toes in the ongoing NCAA season. 

How has he performed so far?

The UConn fans couldn’t control their excitement when they heard that Clignhan would be making a comeback after being sidelined for a month due to a foot strain. Although he returned to play the ongoing season with the team, fans could tell he was off his rhythm. But, he assured fans he is slowly getting there and his recent game proved that he is back! So far, the Huskies have played eleven matches out of which they have won ten. 

Donovan Clingan is currently averaging 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Watching his 21-point performance, one thing is for sure that he won’t be looking back from here and will continue to elevate his game. 

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As the season continues all eyes will be on the Huskies star player to watch what’s next for him.