By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Is there any end in sight in terms of the scoring exploits from Bristol Central boys basketball All-Stater Donovan Clingan?
The only thing that’s going to stop the 7-foot-2 center from getting even more points is the CIAC Division II title showdown which should end up being his final scholastic game ever.
And how many points has he scored this year? How about for his career?
The numbers are simply staggering.
Clingan has knocked in 792 total points over 26 games this season which is good for an average of 30.5 points-per-game.
That’s truly an amazing tally for anyone playing on the scholastic level.
Clingan entered the game against Waterford last Friday with 747 points (Donovan is as big, or bigger, than a Boeing 747) and dropped in 29 first-half points, adding another 16 over the third and fourth periods, as he scored 45 points in the 70-48 victory – moving to 2,213 career points overall.
With that fantastic effort, Clingan is now tenth all-time in total points in the state of Connecticut.
And when Central head coach Tim Barrette found about Clingan’s move into the top 10 of all-time scoring in the state, the longtime mentor pumped his fist and was the happiest guy in the room.
“I’m proud of Donovan,” said Barrette. “He didn’t play too great [against Amistad on Thursday] to be honest. But I’m going to tell you something about Donovan. He texted me at 11 p.m. [on Thursday] and said ‘coach, I’ll ball out tomorrow [against Waterford].’ I can tell you this, he balled out.”
And along the way up the Connecticut scoring list, Clingan passed some very familiar names.
Norwalk’s Calvin Murphy (13th place with 2,192 points) was a pretty good baton twirler in his day.
Oh yes, he was also drafted by the San Diego/Houston Rockets in the NBA after a standout career at Niagara and was eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
Bristol Eastern was familiar with New London’s Kris Dunn (12th, 2,201 points) in terms of Class L state tournament play.
On March 16, 2010, Dunn – then a sophomore – scored a team-high 17 points as No. 2 New London defeated No. 3 Bristol Eastern, 66-46, from the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.
Dunn was traded to the Boston Celtics during the offseason this year but was quickly shipped off to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Phil Lott (11th, 2,212) played at Wilby in Waterbury and then collegiately at Hawaii, scoring over 1,200 points for the program.
In the grand scheme of things, what does Clingan’s scoring exploits mean to Barrette?
“What it says to me is [Donovan] is one of the best ever to play this game coming out of this state,” said Barrette. “What it means to [my players] is they don’t know who [Murphy] is. They don’t know who Kris Dunn is.”
If the pandemic never took hold of our world, Clingan would have been a top-3 scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker in the state – hands down.
However, maybe all those totals would have been much higher knowing the abilities of that outstanding 7-foot-2 warrior over at Bristol Central due to all those cancelled games.
“He would have shattered every record in this state without COVID,” said Barrette. “So, the best we can do is win every game on his way out to get him a state title because no kid who chose to stay in public school deserves it more than him.”
CIAC Boys 2,000-point scorers – Currently (Clingan is just 15 points away from moving into eighth place).
1. Walt Luckett, Kolbe Cathedral, 2,691 points
2. Tom Roy, South Windsor, 2,501
3. Anthony Harris, Danbury, 2,491
4. Alex Jensen, Stonington, 2,357
5. Rashamel Jones, Trinity Catholic, 2,301
6. Tyshon Rogers, Crosby, 2,292
7. Matt Curtis, Cheshire, 2,263
8T. Jordan Williams, Torrington, 2,228
8T. Kahlil Dukes, Capital Prep, 2,228
10. Donovan Clingan, Bristol Central, 2,213
11. Phil Lott, Wilby, 2,212
12. Kris Dunn, New London, 2,201
13. Calvin Murphy, Norwalk, 2,192
