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Stacey Porrini Clingan’s legacy inspires UConn big man Donovan Clingan to be passionate about game and life
When Donovan Clingan’s mother, Stacey Porrini Clingan, died from breast cancer in March of 2018, he vowed to to take his game to another level and fulfill his potential.
He always enjoyed the sport, but her passing served as fuel to turn it into a true passion and blossom into a college star and NBA prospect.
Porrini Clingan played in three NCAA Tournaments and eclipsed 1,000 points at the University of Maine. She chose to raise a family instead of pursuing a WNBA career, and Clingan is forever grateful for the sacrifices she made.
Six years and two days after her passing, the UConn big man spoke passionately Friday about how his mother inspires him.
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“I want to play in her name and her honor, and try to do special things so I can make her proud,” Clingan said.
Clingan, a 7-foot-2-inch, 280-pound sophomore from Bristol, Conn., is averaging 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks for the No. 1 Huskies. Defending champion UConn, set to face No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight on Saturday night at TD Garden after beating San Diego State on Thursday night, continues to lean on its overpowering center.
A Celtics fan who played AAU ball with the Boston Spartans, Clingan believes his mother would love seeing everything he’s accomplished. At the same time, he admits she might take umbrage with one particular aspect of his game.
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“I know she’s smiling down and she’s supporting me. I know she’s definitely not happy with my free throw shooting,” said Clingan, a 57.8 percent shooter from the stripe.
He’s extremely punctual — a trait he inherited from his mother — and gets annoyed whenever teammates are late. The Huskies were five minutes tardy to the podium Friday, despite attempts from Clingan to speed teammate Cam Spencer up, and he wasn’t thrilled.
Clingan, who wears No. 32 in Porrini Clingan’s honor, said people who knew his mom sometimes text him just to tell him they’re thinking of him. He applies the lessons she taught him every day.
“Just do what you love and work hard in everything you do,” he said.
Long and short of it
Saturday’s showdown pits two of the longest and most rangy teams in the country.
Illinois boasts a starting lineup where every player is 6-6 or taller. Standout guard Terrence Shannon Jr. and versatile guard/forward Marcus Domask present problems for opposing teams with their size and switchability. The size created matchup problems for Iowa State in Thursday night’s win by the Illini at TD Garden.
UConn guard Tristen Newton has full respect for the opponent, yet he isn’t overly concerned with that element. He pointed out that the Huskies aren’t exactly a short team, either — with guard Stephon Castle (6-6), forward Alex Karaban (6-8), and Clingan in the mix.
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“They’re a good team, but we still feel like we’re the better team,” Newton said. “They can put as many tall people on the court as they want. We feel like we’re fine.”
The Illini said a key will be to establish themselves as the more physical team.
“They beat a lot of teams on the boards,” Domask said. “They get a lot of second-chance points. So our size, we’ve got to play really physical and keep them off the boards to give ourselves a chance.”
Show off that dad bod
Domask acknowledged that seeing coach Brad Underwood sprint into the locker room with his shirt off and a water gun wasn’t part of the recruiting process.
“I mean, you know, he gets the rep of being the hard-nosed guy,” Domask said. “But on the inside, he’s really kind of soft.”
Underwood was surprised to hear that from Domask.
“I’ve never been called that in my life, Marcus,” he said.
Underwood said he caught “grief” from his two daughters after Thursday’s viral celebration. Strength coach Adam Fletcher told him it’s time to get busy with ab workouts.
The Illinois leader doesn’t want winning to just be a relief; he wants it to feel magical. If that yields a shirtless sprint, so be it.
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“They’ve got a 60-year-old man taking his shirt off and doing his best dad bod,” Underwood said. “So probably not very good, not very easy to look at.”
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