University of Connecticut Athletics
Newton: 'Best Decision I Could Have Made'
3/22/2024 1:18:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By PHIL CHARDIS
Special to uconnhuskies.com
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – When all the hoopla following UConn's 2022-23 championship basketball season had finally died down, Tristen Newton surprisingly still felt as if he had more to accomplish in college.
"I just didn't think I left the mark I wanted to here at UConn," Newton said.
So when it came down to making the decision about whether to use his extra season of college eligibility and return to UConn, he went to the people who brought him to UConn in the first place. After all, everything the coaching staff had told him that could happen if he transferred to UConn from East Carolina had come true.
"They told me if I come back, we can win another national championship, of course, but I can get the role that I really wanted the year before," Newton said. "I didn't really get the role that I wanted, but this year I could get the ball in my hands and I'd be doing the playmaking and stuff like that -- just to showcase what I can do at this level is what they promised me I could do, so I'm really glad I came back. It was the best decision I could have made. It all worked out."
And then some.
Newton's spectacular season in which he led the Huskies in scoring (15.2) and assists (6.0) and was second in rebounding (7.0), sparking UConn to a 31-3 record, and BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships was rewarded with a spot on the AP All-American First Team. He is only the 12th player in UConn history to reach All-American status and the first since Shabazz Napier in 2014.
"Being named All-American is huge for him, it's huge for our program," said backcourt partner Cam Spencer, who was named with Newtproon as First Team All-BIG EAST selections. "When you play with him, you just think, 'Man, this guy is an unbelievably great player.' He makes the game easy for his teammates. We play in a similar way, we want to hit the open man, make the open shot and do anything we can to help the team win. It's great to see him get recognition for all his hard work."
Plenty of players in Newton's position – not long ties to the program after only one year, a national championship won -- might have chosen to leave. Instead, Newton has not only improved his status considerably, but he has led the Huskies to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"I wasn't really surprised," forward Alex Karaban said about Newton's decision. "Ultimately, we wanted Tristen to do what was best for him. Whether that was him leaving, we would have fully supported him. If he wanted to come back, we would have fully supported him. I had a gut feeling, like 'Damn, I want to play with him for one more year.' I was definitely super happy when he came back.
"I know the coaches told him he would make such a big jump if he came back and he really did. He's really the key piece of why we've been so successful this year. For him to make that jump and become so much better than he was last year, which is crazy to say, it's impressive. I think he's better than last year – more triple doubles, more efficient shooting – really everything that he's done, it's been unbelievable."
