Newton one of 30 players named to Naismith Trophy Midseason Team
National recognition continues to roll in for Uconn point guard Tristen Newton, who was among 30 players named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team as candidates for the National Player of the Year award on Thursday.
Newton was one of four nominees from the Big East conference, joined by Marquette's Tyler Kolek, Providence's Devin Carter and Creighton's Baylor Scheierman.
Uconn's second-leading scorer (15 points per game), Newton leads the top-ranked Huskies in rebounds (6.7) and assists (5.7) per game while shooting 40.4% from the field. he' s scored in double digits in 19 of his 25 games this season (20-plus in five games and 30-plus once) and had a team-high six double-doubles. Newton also recorded the third triple-double of his career, the most of any active Division I player, in November.
Newton was also named a top-10 candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame's Bob Cousy Award and was included on the midseason top 25 watch list for the Wooden Award.
The list of candidates will be narrowed to 10 national semifinalists on March 15, four finalists on March 26, and the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year will be announced April 7, a day before the national championship game.
Sanogo standing out: Former Uconn men's basketball star Adama Sanogo continues to make noise in the NBA G League, and on Wednesday the rookie big man was named to the league's ‘Up Next Game.'
The event, part of the NBA'S All-star festivities in Indianapolis, features the best up-and-coming talent in the G League, with 28 players divided into four teams, which will compete in a mini-tournament. It will tip off Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and can be streamed on nbagleague.com, the G League app, the G League's Youtube channel and the NBA app.
Sanogo is averaging 20.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Windy City Bulls, which ranks second in the G League. He's played in 13 regular-season games for Windy City and three for the Chicago Bulls this season while on a two-way contract.
Uconn-tennessee possible: The historic rivalry between Uconn women's basketball and Tennessee took a season off in 2023-24, but the iconic programs could meet again in 2024-25 at the inaugural Women's Champions Classic.
Iowa and Louisville are also scheduled to compete in the early-season showcase at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 7, and the four teams will play a prime-time doubleheader on FOX. The event mirrors the men's Champions Classic, which rotates games between Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State annually. Initial plans call for this event to feature Uconn in a rotation against some of the most storied programs in women's basketball.
“We're very excited to have the Women's Champions Classic on our schedule for the foreseeable future,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a release. “There's never been a higher level of interest in women's basketball.
“The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee matchups early in the season.”