UConn men’s basketball star Donovan Clingan declares for NBA Draft

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Donovan Clingan has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft.

The 7-foot-2 sophomore from Bristol announced his decision on social media Friday after it was originally reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, just four days after winning a second consecutive national title with the UConn men’s basketball team. Clingan was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks over six double-digit victories.

“First and foremost, BACK TO BACK National Championships is legendary! These past two years have exceeded all my dreams and expectations. I will be forever grateful for the memories created with all my brothers, and I’ll cherish every moment forever!” his post read.

“I’d like to thank my dad, my sister, my grandma, Maddie and the rest of my family and close friends for supporting and guiding me through my journey and pushing me to be my best. To Coach Hurley, Coach Kimani, Coach Murray and Coach Moore, thank you for believing in the kid from Connecticut and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. You have all changed my life and I’ll be forever grateful for the impact you’ve had on me. I love you guys. To my Mom, my biggest inspiration, I’ll continue to work my hardest to make you proud!”

Clingan started 33 of the 35 games he played this year, missing five games to a foot injury, and averaged 13 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on the season. Nicknamed “Cling Kong,” he stepped into the lead frontcourt role after a year as the understudy to Adama Sanogo, 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, in which he averaged 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 13.1 minutes per game as a true freshman.

“I’ll be pursuing the lifelong dream of mine to play in the NBA and will be entering my name in the 2024 NBA Draft!! It will be very hard for me to leave my brothers after all the success these past two years, but the time is NOW!” his post continued.

Clingan is widely projected to be a lottery selection in this year’s…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-men-basketball-star-donovan-202200835.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2024-04-12 20:22:00

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