University of Connecticut Athletics
Castle Wins BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
2/5/2024 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – UConn men's basketball first-year standout Stephon Castle (Covington, Ga.) has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fifth time in six weeks and sixth time this season, the league announced on Monday (Feb. 5). The honor for Castle comes after a huge week that saw him procure the first two 20-point games of his career. In addition, the league honored Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) for the fourth time on the weekly honor roll.
Castle set his career-high in scoring in back-to-back games during UConn's 2-0 week, dropping 20 points on Providence on Wednesday before pouring in 21 against St. John's on Saturday. In addition to his 20.5 points per game Castle added 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game on the week. He shot 53.8 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from 3-point range, hitting multiple 3-pointers in both contests.
The 6-6 freshman is averaging 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists on the season, all tops amongst BIG EAST freshman. His defensive versatility has seen him guard a gamut of the league's top scorers, and he is averaging over a steal per game.
Newton's honor roll nod comes after posting a pair of double-doubles on the week. The graduate guard finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Providence on Wednesday, then followed that up with an 18-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist effort against St. John's on Saturday. The All-America candidate continues to lead the Huskies in every major offensive category at 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
Castle, Newton and the Huskies return to action on Tuesday night when they welcome Butler to the XL Center for an 8:30 p.m. tip.
