University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Place Four On All-BIG EAST Teams
3/10/2024 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – A total of four members from the UConn's men's basketball team have earned All-BIG EAST honors, the conference office announced on Sunday (March 10). Both Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer garnered spots on the All-Conference First Team, while Donovan Clingan is an All-League Honorable Mention. Rounding out the All-Conference honors is a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman team for Stephon Castle.
The Huskies have now placed two members on the All-BIG EAST First Team in three-straight seasons after Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins were both First Team picks a season ago and Sanogo and R.J. Cole earned First Team laurels in 2021-22. Castle becomes the fifth All-Freshman pick for the Huskies in the last four years, with UConn placing a rookie on the squad in each year since its return to the league.
Individual honors and major awards will be announced later in the week.
Newton was a unanimous selection to the All-Conference First Team after a regular season that saw the El Paso, Texas native lead Connecticut in scoring, rebounding and assists per game. During league play Newton averaged 14.3 poinst, 7.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He recorded six double-doubles in conference action, including a triple-double against Villanova on Feb. 24. The honor for Newton comes after he was not selected to a single Preseason All-Conference team.
The First Team nod for Spencer comes amidst an incredibly efficient offensive season for the fifth-year grad transfer. During league play the Davidsonville, Md. native averaged 14.2 points per game, shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. He added 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, recording 65 assists against only 18 turnovers in conference action. Spencer also led the Huskies with 1.5 steals per game in BIG EAST play.
Clingan grabs a spot as an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention despite missing five league games early in conference play. The Bristol, Conn. big man averaged 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in only 21.7 minutes per game over 15 league games, shooting 63.6 percent from the floor. Clingan notched three double-doubles during league play and blocked 2.4 shots per game, tops on the Huskies.
The lone unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team, Castle has starred in league play and rounded into form after missing six games early in the non-conference. The Covington, Ga. native averaged 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in BIG EAST action, all tops among league rookies. He was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a league-record 11 times, topping the previous mark of 10 held by Carmelo Anthony in 2002-03. Consistently drawing a defensive matchup with an opponent's top scorer, Castle added 19 steals and 11 blocks during conference action.
The Huskies are back in action at the BIG EAST Tournament on Thursday, March 14 with a noon quarterfinal matchup against either Butler or Xavier.
