NBA prospect Donovan Clingan: Italy's ticket to basketball success? / News - Basketnews.com

One of the NCAA March Madness stars, UConn big man Donovan Clingan, might become the next target for the Italian national team. The 20-year-old big has Italian roots from his mother's side and has been in touch with the Italian federation regarding his International future.

Credit: Associated Press Credit Associated Press

If there's a name that has been drawing lots of eyes on his performances during the NCAA March Madness, it's UConn big man Donovan Clingan, who has been the main factor in his team's run to the Final Four.

The 20-year-old big man is now considered to be one of the favorites to land a top-5 call in the upcoming NBA Draft.

One thing that many people do not know is that Clingan has Italian roots. Clingan's late mother, Stacey Porrini, who passed away six years ago due to breast cancer, was of Italian descendency.

For this reason, the Italian federation has been in touch with Clingan, just like they do with many other potential candidates for an Italian passport.

Riccardo Fois, an assistant coach for the Italian national team and supervisor of the Italian/American prospects for the federation, gave an interview to Tuttosport in which he provided an outlook of Clingan's potential future with the Azzurri.

Donovan ClinganCredit AFP-Scanpix

"We're in touch with him, just like we are with all the other interesting prospects," Fois confirmed. However, our passport rules are pretty strict, and we have to analyze all the documents to understand if Donovan will be able to obtain an Italian passport. The bureaucratic procedure is long; meanwhile, he'll go to the NBA."

Fois also provided an update on the situation of Donte DiVincenzo and Drew Eubanks, two NBA players who might wear the Italian jersey in the future.

"They both know that we are interested, just like we are aware of their interest in playing for our national team," Fois specified. "We are happy that they want to represent Italy because this means that we have built in the last few years, and it's intriguing for many players. Their words of appreciation for our team must be an incentive for the entire movement."

One of the stars who will try to bring Italy to the Olympic Games in Paris is Simone Fontecchio. He recently changed teams in the NBA, switching from the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons.

Fois is extremely happy about the season that Fontecchio is living and doesn't have many doubts about his ability to find a permanent spot in the NBA.

"His size and skillset are a perfect fit for the NBA. I didn't have doubts that he was going to find his spot in the league," the Italian assistant coach explained. "Now that he's in Detroit, he made a huge step forward. He'll sign a long-term contract and will fulfill his dream. His presence in the NBA is very important for the young kids who want to play basketball in Italy."

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