The Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Committee announces its 2024 class of inductees. The 35th Annual Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 28th at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry Street, Plantsville, CT 06479. Ticket information may be obtained from Tina Gonyea [203] 927-4476 or tlghoop@aol.com.
The Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame was the first organization of its kind in the country. It was created in 1987 by five professional and personal friends who strongly felt the need to honor outstanding basketball players, coaches, officials, and advocates. The Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the enhancement of women’s basketball in Connecticut -- either through participation, through service, through support, or through achievement. The 2024 Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Famers exemplify the finest achievements in Connecticut.
One of the six inductees includes Bristol native Stacey Porrini Clingan.
Stacey Porrini Clingan College Player [posthumous induction]
Stacey Porrini Clingan is described by her collegiate coach Joanne P. McCallie as “a warrior of character in all ways.” The former Stacey Porrini, a 6-foot-4 center, played for the women’s basketball team at the University of Maine from 1993-97, where she finished with 1,128 points, 929 rebounds and the first three NCAA tournament appearances in Black Bears history, but more than that McCallie remembers her as a leader, fiercely loyal to the program and the very definition of character.
Clingan lost a hardfought battle with breast cancer on March 27, 2018, at the age of 42, but leaves a lasting legacy, including her children Donovan and Olivia. Donovan, a 7-foot-2 center who followed his mother into the history books while playing at Bristol Central High School and who recently completed his sophomore season as a member of the UConn men’s basketball team — wearing Stacey’s familiar No. 32.
Prior to her career at Maine, Clingan was a three-sport athlete at Bristol Central from 1989-93, excelling in basketball, swimming and track and field. She set school records in rebounds (1,032) and blocked shots (273), both of which were broken by Donovan in his decorated career, and as a senior she averaged 17 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks per game. She earned all-conference honors in all three sports and was inducted into the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, followed by the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
