Dan Hurley Sees Donovan Clingan Traits in UConn Center
In this story:
Dan Hurley doesn’t throw around comparisons lightly, especially not ones tied to a recent national title anchor. That’s what made his postgame comments land after the UConn Huskies' 71–63 win over Texas. As the Huskies closed a brutal non-conference slate, Hurley looked at what his center was doing on the floor and said his traits felt familiar.
Those traits belonged to Tarris Reed Jr., a player whose season has quietly turned a corner since returning from first a hamstring injury and then an ankle injury. Against Texas, Reed made 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, pulled down six rebounds, and blocked four shots. And for Hurley, he became the connective tissue of UConn’s offense when Texas started switching.
“I mean, Tarris looked like Donovan up there for us," Hurley said. "Part of when people start switching things is you have to have a center at the top of the key who’s got size, vision, and dexterity with his hands, and can make those thread-the-needle passes.”
Over his past several games, Reed has had 21 points and eight rebounds against BYU, 19 against Columbia, 12 against Florida, and then came the Texas performance. The confidence is back, and so is the physicality.
Tarris with his career-high fifth assist on one end then does ... this on the other 😅 pic.twitter.com/YX98p9RS39
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) December 13, 2025
UConn built its first double-digit lead when Reed found Alex Karaban on a clean slip for a lay-in, a play that embodied exactly what Hurley was talking about. By halftime, the Huskies had shot 68 percent, handed out 13 assists, and controlled the game without ever fully blowing it open. Texas kept hanging around, but Reed kept answering.
That blend is why Hurley’s mind went to Clingan. Clingan, of course, was the model. After backing up Adama Sanogo as a freshman, he emerged as UConn’s starting center, anchoring a championship defense before a foot injury sidelined him midseason. When he returned, his impact was immediate.
That season ended with Clingan becoming a lottery pick and taking his game to the NBA.Hurley isn’t saying Reed is Clingan. He’s saying the blueprint is there. And Eric Reibe fits into that picture too.
“Both Tarris and Eric, obviously Eric got limited by foul trouble, I thought Eric was playing really, really good today," Hurley said. "Having a center who can play out there when people are switching lets us start slipping things, fading things, slipping flares, stepping into space. That’s going to make us more dangerous offensively,” added Hurley.
What’s Next for Dan Hurley and the Huskies?
Now the real test begins. With non-conference play behind them, the Big East gauntlet begins. The upcoming stretch has road trips to DePaul, Xavier, Providence, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Creighton, along with heavyweight home matchups against Marquette, Villanova, and Providence.
It starts with Butler. The Huskies are 11–0 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a narrow 80–78 overtime win in the most recent meeting. This season, UConn has found different ways to win, but the margin keeps shrinking, and familiarity breeds tension.
That’s why Reed’s emergence matters. In a league built on physicality and preparation, having a center who can punish switches, protect the rim, and make the right read changes the math. Hurley knows it. Texas felt it.
Even Texas Longhorns HC Sean Miller praised the UConn center.
“Everybody else on the court because he’s different," Miller said. "We knew that we tried to trap him, and I thought at times that was good for us, but when you trap UConn you have to be careful because of the firepower around him. Tarris Reed is a big part of what makes UConn good.”
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.