12/09/2025
CONNECTICUT FORGED: DONOVAN CLINGAN
Connecticut doesn’t just produce talent.
Connecticut produces anchors.
Foundations.
Championship DNA.
And no modern athlete embodies that truth more profoundly than Donovan Clingan.
A 7-foot-2 force from Bristol who dominated CIAC gyms long before he dominated March Madness, Clingan represents a lineage of Connecticut greatness built on resilience, skill, and an unwavering sense of purpose. He didn’t just win at Bristol Central. He defined an era.
30 points. 18 rebounds. 6 blocks.
Back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year.
A state champion before he ever touched a college floor.
Then came UConn.
Two national titles.
A transformation from local legend to a national spectacle.
A center who controlled games with verticality, timing, and a competitive edge the country hadn’t seen from a homegrown Connecticut big man since the old Big East wars.
He carried his mother’s number.
He carried a city’s heartbeat.
And now he carries a state’s pride into the NBA.
Drafted seventh overall by Portland.
NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
A franchise cornerstone in the making.
Donovan Clingan is more than a prospect.
He is the proof that Connecticut athletes rise when the system allows them to thrive. His story is exactly why CIAC Inc. demands a modernized, transparent, athlete-first framework: because the next Clingan is already in a gym somewhere, waiting for a structure that truly honors their path.
The Connecticut Forged campaign honors athletes who made their name on our hardwood and carried our identity onto the national stage. Clingan stands at the center of that legacy.
Forged in Bristol.
Crowned in Storrs.
Ascending in Portland.
Rooted in Connecticut forever.