By Michael Letendre

MANCHESTER – Apparently, basketball played from the gymnasium at Manchester High School seems to be the launching point of some very talented scholastic players from Bristol.

And in this example, both the careers of former Bristol Central All-State standout and current UConn center Donovan Clingan and Bristol Eastern freshman Autumn Udoh started off scholastically with showdowns in Manchester.

Of course, both teams had completely different results against the Red Hawks over their first respective games.

For Central and Clingan on December 14, 2018, the Rams ran into a talented Manchester squad.

The then Indians were big 86-43 victors but Clingan showed everyone just what his game on the hardwood would become.

The 6-foot-10 center zipped up team-highs of 14 points, 16 rebounds and rejected six shots over a tremendous debut.

Central led 8-2 early but was outscored 84-35 the rest of the way.

That season, Central went 8-13 overall but was still able to fight its way into the playoffs.

The following season, Central lost just five games, was ranked fourth in the Division II playoff field but the pandemic knocked out the postseason.

Forty-three consecutive wins later, Clingan was headed off to the University of Connecticut with a CIAC Division II state title in hand off a simply remarkable scholastic career.

While Clingan lost his first encounter, Udoh hit the pay window over her debut game.

On the flip side, Udoh – whose sister Jade Udoh was a 1,000-point scorer at St. Paul Catholic – led her squad to a win from Manchester.

Behind Udoh’s sensational effort, Eastern hit the pay window for the first time in 2022, sinking the Red Hawks 51-39 in a CCC Interdivisional tilt back on December 13.

Udoh came off the bench with 1:36 gone in the first quarter as teammate Lauren Ayotte committed two quick fouls – leading to the debut by the 5-foot-11 forward.

She came in firing and was tremendous on the defensive end.

Overall, Udoh drained 6-of-14 shots, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line, for a team best 15 points.

Eight of her 18 total rebounds came off the offensive glass while she also tallied an assist, rejected four shots and snared four steals over an amazing first game effort.

Clingan finished one of the greatest individual scholastic campaigns in state history with a 28-0 record as a senior in 2022, a CIAC Division II champion, and is a top-10 career scorer in Connecticut state history.

What will happen over Udoh’s four year career from Bristol Eastern?

Keep your eyes on Udoh as her game unfolds for the Lancers.