A key piece of UConn’s 2022-23 title team will return to the Huskies for his senior season.
Guard Tristen Newton, who averaged 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the NCAA tournament, withdrew from the 2023 NBA draft to play another year in college, the school announced Wednesday.
Newton transferred to UConn before this season after three years at East Carolina and averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 29 games in 2022. He played a critical role in the Huskies’ 76-59 win over San Diego State in the national championship when he scored a game-high 19 points and added eight rebounds and four assists. Newton also became the first player in school history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season after he tallied his second In February.
The return of Newton is critical for UConn’s title contention this upcoming season. The Huskies were early betting favorites immediately after the championship game, but have since lost Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins — the team’s two leading scorers — to the NBA draft and are now third (+1200) behind Duke and Kansas, per BetMGM. Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek mocked Hawkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 12 pick. Junior guard Andre Jackson, who hasn’t decided if he’ll enter the draft or not, is also a potential second-round pick in Peek’s mock draft.