Fans were on the edge of their seats with 25 seconds left on Saturday, Feb. 24. The then-No. 1 UConn men’s basketball team’s contest versus the Villanova Wildcats had long been decided, but graduate guard Tristen Newton was just one assist away from a triple-double.
“Triple-double” chants reigned down from above for 95 seconds following Newton’s two free throws to put him in double figures. Each tick carried its own aura of heart-stopping suspense. As time wound down, the graduate guard kicked the ball out to a wide-open Alex Karaban.
The redshirt sophomore hit nothing but net from downtown. Gampel Pavilion exploded in excitement. At 10 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, Newton had his fourth-career triple-double, the most among all active players in men’s college basketball.
When the then-rising senior transferred from East Carolina University in 2022, 2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Shabazz Napier held the school record with two triple-doubles. Napier was the only player in program history with more than one triple-double at the time, which were achieved during separate seasons.
The closest Newton had gotten to achieving one with East Carolina came in his junior year. Against the South Florida Bulls, the All-American Conference Second Team selection had 14 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. 16 days later, he had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the regular-season finale.
It took Newton three games to make an immediate impact with Connecticut. Against the Buffalo Bulls at the XL Center, the ECU transfer dropped 22 points (14 of which came from free throws), collected 10 rebounds and had 10 assists. His triple-double was the Huskies’ first since Daniel Hamilton in 2015.
Despite etching his name into history, fans feared Newton was not the right fit for UConn when he struggled against Big East competition. That was around the time the Huskies went 2-6 following their 14-0 start, but this doubt fueled both parties.
Over his next six contests, the El Paso native bounced back by making at least 40% of his shots. Newton capped off that stretch in a ranked battle against the then-No. 10 Marquette Golden Eagles in Hartford last February. Across 35 minutes, the then-senior scored 12 points on 4-9 shooting, dished out 12 assists and grabbed 10 boards. His 10th rebound with 3:46 left generated a rousing round of applause from the XL Center crowd.
Connecticut lost just twice the rest of the season on route to their fifth national title. Newton capped off his first season as a Husky with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the championship game. While he tested the waters of the 2023 NBA Draft, the El Paso native decided to come back to UConn for one more year.
Newton has significantly improved in his overall game as a graduate student. Through 28 games, the 6-foot-5 guard leads the team with 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists a night. He broke the program record for triple-doubles versus the Manhattan Jaspers on Black Friday in 30 minutes of action.
The graduate guard has also improved as a leader. When the Huskies needed someone to produce offensively against the then-No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks and then-No. 15 Creighton Bluejays, Newton stepped up with two career performances. Despite tough defeats in two hostile environments, he kept Connecticut in the fight both times.
Regardless of his role, the graduate guard is playing like an All-American and a Big East Player of the Year candidate. On a team filled with so many athletes who can shine on any given night, Newton has been one of the main reasons the Huskies are 25-3.
Beyond his four-career triple-doubles, he has earned the privilege of being recognized in the Huskies of Honor.
Now I do not expect the graduate guard to get in immediately, say, senior night against the Seton Hall Pirates on Sunday. There are several players who should be inducted ahead of him. At the same time, Newton should not be the only individual from last year’s national championship team who may be acknowledged.
UConn’s big three from that title team—Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins—all have their own strong case for induction. Sanogo became a player who could score from all over the floor and earned honorable mention All-American recognition as a junior. Jackson was the team’s biggest X-factor and someone whose dynamic athleticism made it difficult for opposing teams to scheme around. Hawkins nearly matched Ray Allen’s single-season marks from behind the arc as a sophomore.
I understand that there may be uncertainties about honoring someone who only spent two seasons at UConn, like Newton. However, two years is not too short of a timeframe to be considered. Caron Butler and Rudy Gay — two of the program’s 15 all-time lottery picks — each spent two seasons in Storrs before going to the NBA. Both are deservedly in the Huskies of Honor and Hawkins may join them in the near future.
A second issue could revolve around tenure as Newton did not spend his entire five-year career at Connecticut’s flagship university. NIL, COVID years and immediate eligibility for transfers have significantly affected all college sports, but especially college basketball. As the sport changes, so may the standard for induction; the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wooden Award watchlist selection could start that trend.
Newton’s name will be uttered in the same sentence alongside some of the Huskies’ all-time icons. That became a possibility while nine-time Big East Freshman of the Week Stephon Castle celebrated with the graduate guard following Karaban’s massive three-pointer last Saturday. In just two seasons, “Mr. Triple-Double” had become one of UConn’s premiere point guards.
For someone as dynamic across multiple facets of the game as Newton, it is not a matter of if, but when he takes his spot in the Huskies of Honor.