UConn men's notes: Clingan continues to play in honor of his late mom, Stacey
Mar. 27—BOSTON — Six years ago on Wednesday, Donovan Clingan lost his mother.
"That changed my life forever," Clingan said.
Clingan talked about what his mother, Stacey, meant to him during Wednesday's NCAA tournament press conference at TD Garden.
The UConn sophomore pays tribute to her by wearing her uniform number (32).
"I really wasn't the biggest fan of basketball," Clingan said. "But really when she passed, it made me realize how much I loved basketball and gave me a reason why to be great. ... She was a big basketball player at Maine and had a great career. Instead of going to the WNBA, she wanted to have kids and be a mom. She had me and my sister, and I just try to live her name through the game."
Clingan, who's from Bristol and attended Bristol Central High School, has made both of his parents proud with the way he plays and carries himself off the court. His father Bill has been there every step of Clingan's journey.
During the postseason, Clingan has played his best basketball of his career. A 7-foot-2 sophomore center, he averaged 18.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in the last three games — two NCAA tournament wins and the Big East championship victory.
He blocked a career-high eight shots against Northwestern Sunday in the second round to go with 14 points and 14 rebounds, joining David Robinson (Navy, 1986) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston, 1983) as the only players to record those numbers in NCAA tournament history.
"We're competing for the best of the best right now, and we're trying to do special things," Clingan said. "I'm just trying to impact the game any way I can and help my team win."
And Clingan will be thinking about his mom this week as UConn tries to win two games, starting with Thursday's Sweet 16 encounter with No. 5 San Diego State in the East Region to advance to the Final Four for the second straight year.
"She was the best mom anyone could ask for and she influenced me in so many ways," Clingan said. "I'm just hoping to make her proud."
Coach Dan Hurley called Clingan a special kid.
"Donovan is just a unique personality," Hurley said. "It's just rare to see somebody that has dealt with the heart-breaking tragedy and then has the personality that he has. He's so alive and he's so vibrant and he brings so much personality. He's a total giver."
Defensive blanket
UConn has thrown a defensive blanket over an opponent's leading scorer in recent action.
Northwestern's Boo Buie (2-for-15 from the field, nine points), Stetson's Jalon Blackmon (4-for-17, 14 points) and Marquette's Kam Jones (5-for-17, 14 points) were all held under their scoring averages. They combined to shoot 22% from the field.
Credit UConn guards Stephon Castle and Hassan Diarra for playing lockdown defense on those perimeter players.
But San Diego State star Jaedon Ledee, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, presents a different challenge.
Previous NCAA tournament opponents have struggled to stop LeDee, who averaged 29 points and 8.5 rebounds in two wins. An All-American, he's 20 of 30 from the field, 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 15-for-18 from the foul line.
LeDee's role has expanded considerably since last season when he came off the bench. He played only 18 minutes in the national title game loss to UConn, scoring eight points.
This season, LeDee leads the team in scoring (21.5 points) and rebounding (8.4).
"He is probably the most improved player in the country," UConn redshirt sophomore Alex Karaban said. "Just the jump that he made from last year to this year, it's really remarkable. He's an outstanding player. He is definitely a key focal point for us."
A stingy defense is a significant factor in UConn's tournament run. The Huskies have allowed an average of 54 points per game and 34.2% from the field.
No travel issues
San Diego State had good reason to complain about its NCAA tournament travel schedule, especially compared to UConn.
After beating Yale in Spokane, Washington, on Sunday night, the Aztecs flew home, arriving at 4 a.m. They took a cross country flight to Boston on Tuesday.
The Huskies, on the other hand, had about a 90-minute bus ride from Storrs to Boston on Tuesday afternoon. They beat Northwestern in Brooklyn on Sunday night.
San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher took the high road, addressing the matter in his opening statement during Wednesday's press conference at TD Garden.
"Everyone is going to ask us about getting back at four in the morning and traveling five hours to get here, I would just say this, it's a blessing," Dutcher said. "We're grateful for everything that's come our way. We've worked hard to earn it and we're thankful to be here and excited for the opportunity to play a really good UConn team."
News and notes
With a win, UConn (33-3) will tie the program's regular season record set by the 1998-99 team that went 34-2. ... The four East Region Sweet 16 teams, UConn, San Diego State, Illinois and Iowa State, all had open practices and then a closed workout at TD Garden on Wednesday. ... Karaban, who's from Southborough, Mass., had his mom handle the ticket distribution for the game. "She's telling people yes and no. ... We're just more focused on San Diego State. We don't really talk about tickets." ... No. 3 Illinois and No. 2 Iowa State play in Thursday's second game of the Sweet 16 doubleheader.
