By Michael Letendre
BURLINGTON – After breaking the single-game school standard in points the previous week, Bristol Central boys basketball dynamo Donovan Clingan decided to put himself into the record books one more time.
Clingan, the University of Connecticut bound center, needed just 17 points to capture the school record in career points while an additional 10 would give him sole possession of Bristol’s all-time scoring record.
Well, Clingan checked off both boxes as he dropped in 34 points – scooping in both records during second quarter play of Central’s 68-40 victory at Lewis Mills in Burlington on Tuesday night.
“That’s pretty amazing,” said Central coach Tim Barrette. “One thing I did tell him tonight was to just play and let it happen. Don’t force tonight, don’t try to get points, and do what you do. It will come naturally. I said I don’t want 17 points anyways. I wanted double that and I think that’s what he finished up with.”
“[It was] perfect, right on the number.”
A week earlier, Clingan established the school record after dumping in 47 points on Platt and then – via that tremendous 34 point showing at Mills – the big man captured both the school and city scoring records during a whirlwind second period of play.
“With 34 points tonight, Donovan Clingan became the all-time leading scorer at Bristol Central and the city of Bristol,” said former BC boys basketball coach and current principal Pete Wininger via Twitter on Tuesday night. “Couldn’t be happier for him, his family, his coaches and his teammates. What a great legacy!”
With the gymnasium at Lewis Mills on the verge of capacity, the crowd saw Clingan hit two consecutive free throws with 6:44 left to play in the second quarter.
Those free throws gave Clingan the school scoring record and when his final lay-up of the half fell through the hoop with seven seconds left, he netted 28 first-half points captured the city scoring record as well.
Lewis Mills head coach Ryan Raponey, who played scholastically for Bristol Eastern and coached there for years, knows the impact Clingan has made at both Bristol Central and the Bristol community as a whole.
“A couple years ago, I remember saying he was a once in a generation type of player,” said Raponey. “You hope the best for Donovan moving forward at UCONN and whatever follows him after that. Being from Bristol originally and seeing a player that good come through, you don’t want those types of things to happen against you but when you see a guy reach a record like that, when you’ve been watching him play for a long time, you’re happy for him for sure.”
What’s left to accomplish for the senior standout?
Clingan wants to score 2,000 points and with five regular season games left to play, plus contests in both the upcoming CCC and CIAC Division II Tournaments, he’s less than 160 points away from that amazing tally.
And of course, there’s also an opportunity to hang a new state championship banner on the wall of the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium come the end of March.
RIM DUST…Clingan did not stick around long after Lewis Mills showdown, even as several “ESPN announcers” were at the Thunderdome Gymnasium – looking for an interview at the conclusion of the historic game. There was even an ESPN booth set up, housing several well-dressed announcers with microphones – who strangely looked like students from Lewis Mills – but could not coax Clingan out of the locker room…The game was stopped at the 6:44 mark of the second period and Clingan’s scoring record was announced. A very classy Lewis Mills crowd, which included a big student section, gave Clingan thunderous applause in recognition of his tremendous achievement.
