Clinched a commitment
High-scoring transfer Newton headed to UConn
Tristen Newton made one official visit after entering the transfer portal following his junior year at East Carolina.
That’s all he needed. After a weekend at UConn, Newton was finished with the process.
On Wednesday, Newton committed to UConn. The 6-foot-5 guard, who scored 25 points against the Huskies as a freshman, was a top priority for Dan Hurley and the UConn staff as the program looks to rebuild it roster.
Newton arrives as UConn loses players to the portal. Akok Akok, Corey Floyd Jr., Rahsool Diggins and Jalen Gaffney are transferring. The Huskies also lost four seniors, including point guard R.J. Cole.
So Newton has an opportunity.
“UConn was my first and only visit, so I pretty much knew I wanted to go there the whole time,” Newton said Wednesday. “I wanted to get a feel for the guys and the coaches. When I got that, I just pretty much knew I was going there.”
Newton exactly fits one of the main items UConn was looking for through the portal — a scoring point guard, with size. He averaged 17.7 points per game for ECU this season while averaging a team-best 5 assists, as well. Newton shot 33.3% on 3-pointers, a number that could use some improvement.
“Super, super smart, quiet kid,” said Raphael Chillious, the former UConn assistant who was an assistant at ECU for Newton’s freshman season. “His game, I would consider unorthodox, because you watch his shot, it doesn’t look like the perfect form. But it goes in. He’s always had a knack for scoring.”
Chillious added that Newton, who hails from El Paso, Texas and was the top scorer in Texas as a senior at Burges High at 37.4 points per game, is equally adept at playing off the ball.
Newton said UConn’s
history of sending players to the NBA factored into his decision. His goal, he said, is to play at the next level.
“Coach Hurley is a great coach and he can help me go to the league, like I really want,” Newton said. “His vision for me is exactly what I need and I feel like his role for me is exactly what I want.”
Hurley can be demanding, Newton said. Which is also a draw.
“I feel like everybody needs to be pushed,” Newton said. “Growing up and going through life, everybody needs to be pushed. I don’t feel like I’ve been pushed like that in my life so this will help me.”
Given his size, Newton can provide UConn with a physical point guard capable of scoring or distributing. Newton said he is aiming to improve his defense, a facet of his game that will need to be better if he hopes to play in the NBA.
Newton also committed 104 turnovers last season, another area he needs to tidy up.
Steve Demeo, an assistant at ECU this past season, said Newton can benefit from playing at a high level.
“He’s an elite-level scorer, elite-level person and I think he’s going to be an elitelevel player at the high-major level,” Demeo said of Newton. “Some games down the stretch, he turned it on and started bombing shots. If he gets grittier and tougher, he’s got a chance to be elite.
An excellent student, Newton had nearly 30 college credits already coming out of high school, according to Chillious. His father is a career military man.
After three seasons in the American Athletic Conference — UConn’s former home — Newton is enthused by the prospect of joining a Big East school.
“Big East is one of the best conferences in in the nation,” he said. “Going in every night, not having an easy game ... you have to be on your game every night. Looking forward to it.”
With Cole’s decision not to use his extra year of eligibility, and with Gaffney and Diggins deciding to transfer, UConn had no true point guards on its roster until Newton’s commitment.
The Huskies are still looking for talented shooters, preferably with some size, through the portal or possibly through Class of 2022 players. The Huskies currently have three open scholarships for next year but haven’t decided whether to fill all three now or possibly table a scholarship or two through the summer, or even leave one empty.
AKOK ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL
Forward Akok Akok is the latest UConn men’s basketball player to enter the transfer portal, a source within the program confirmed Wednesday.
The news comes a day after freshman Corey Floyd Jr. entered the portal.
That makes four players transferring from UConn. Point guards Rahsool Diggins and Jalen Gaffney previously entered the portal.
UConn has also lost seniors Tyrese Martin, R.J. Cole, Isaiah Whaley, and Tyler Polley from last year’s roster.
Before adding Newton, the roster currently has seven scholarship players: Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson, Samson Johnson, Jordan Hawkins, Richie Springs, Alex Karaban, and incoming freshman Donovan Clingan. Karaban, a freshman, enrolled early but did not play last season.
The 6-foot-9 Akok started 24 games as a freshman, who he injured his Achilles. He was limited to seven games as a sophomore and played 23 games last season, starting seven.