Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Donovan Clingan dominating in junior year

A lot of Syracuse basketball fans anxiously await whether the Orange will remain in contention for elite 2022 big man Donovan Clingan as the four-star prospect gets closer to making a decision on his collegiate destination.

In the meantime, the 7-foot-1 center is absolutely crushing the competition so far in his junior campaign at Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Conn.

"Check out this recent tweet from recruiting guru Jake Weingarten, the founder of Stockrisers.com. “Top-35 junior Donovan Clingan has combined for 81 points, 57 rebounds, and nearly 20 blocks over his last three games. In addition, he’s recorded nearly 20 assists in that span.”"

Now, Clingan isn’t necessarily facing the top high-school teams around the country night in and night out, however, those are some pretty spectacular statistics.

Given the well-documented recent struggles for Syracuse basketball at the center position, particularly on offense, ‘Cuse fans would obviously welcome Clingan to the Hill with eagerly open arms.

Syracuse basketball 2022 target Donovan Clingan is a highly skilled center.

I’ve always felt that the fact Orange coaches were the first to offer a scholarship to Clingan, with that offer coming in August of 2019, could prove key as Syracuse basketball attempts to prevail in the recruiting sweepstakes for the ultra-talented 2022 prospect.

Then again, competition for Clingan is intense, and recruiting analysts have said more than once that his recruitment is tough to gauge. Clingan has yet to release a list of finalists, and I haven’t seen any predictions from recruiting analysts as to his potential landing spot.

Clingan did recently tell 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London that he plans to make his commitment known “right before his senior season.”

At this juncture, Clingan possesses more than a dozen offers from a range of high-major squads in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Big East Conference and other leagues.

For what it’s worth, both Connecticut and Michigan are listed as “warm” under Clingan’s bio on the 247Sports Web site. The Wolverines, a team that has done quite well on the recruiting trail of late, were one of the more recent groups to offer Clingan.

Michigan in recent years has produced a bunch of exceptional big men, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Wolverines end up as a front-runner for Clingan.

I’ve read a lot of comments from Syracuse basketball fans in chat rooms and on social media regarding Clingan, and there doesn’t seem to be a ton of optimism that he will ultimately choose the ‘Cuse.

Then again, with his recruitment being fairly difficult to decipher, according to analysts, the Orange could certainly end up as one of Clingan’s finalists and stay in the mix for his services.