If the first day of allowed direct contact with 2022 basketball players is any indication, Notre Dame is going to take some swings at top-level talent.
The Fighting Irish coaching staff sent out its first two offers for 2022 on Monday, and each went to a top-50 player who has already become a national recruit. Notre Dame offered Bristol (Conn.) Central center Donovan Clingan, the No. 47 overall player in Rivals’ 2022 rankings. Later in the day, it offered wing Prince Aligbe from Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. He is the No. 49 overall player.
Each had a busy Monday, hearing from dozens of college coaches and reeling in a few offers. In addition to Notre Dame, Clingan added overtures from Rutgers, Michigan State, Maryland and Virginia Tech since Monday.
Here are some thoughts on each player and why they fit at Notre Dame.
Donovan Clingan
Massive, skilled post players are a market inefficiency in college basketball recruiting that a few lucky teams exploit each year. They’re often fast contributors because of their advanced skill level, but are not exactly valued as first-round commodities by the NBA.
Teams that recruit them usually get high-level play for multiple years because it’s rare to see a post-centric big man go in the lottery or top 20 of the first round these days, thus lowering the incentive to be a one-and-done even if they have brought the instant impact potential of one.
