Dropping UConn Career High With 31 Points, Can Triston Newton Bring Out His Best With New Team?

On Friday night, Kansas defeated UConn with a final score of 69-65. Despite a late comeback by Huskies, led by Triston Newton’s outstanding performance of 31 points and several blocked 3-pointers, the Jayhawks managed to maintain their lead.

The atmosphere at Allen Fieldhouse was electric, with the spectators packing the stadium and providing immense energy throughout the game. Newton, the transfer student, undoubtedly made a significant impact on the team, showcasing his exceptional skills against Kansas. However, his efforts alone were insufficient to prevent the UConn Huskies from falling behind.

The new sensation called Triston Newton

The son of Montreal Newton and Erika, Triston was born on April 26, 2001. He has an older brother named Jawaun, who played at Evansville for three seasons before transferring to Southern Illinois the prior season. Triston transferred from East Carolina University to UConn before his senior year in 2022-2023. He has one more season of eligibility available, as granted by the NCAA for pandemic-affected student-athletes.

During his time at ECU, Triston played in 78 games and averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. His overall shooting percentage was 404, and his three-point shooting percentage was 316. He scored a total of 1,018 points at ECU.

After relocating to UConn, Triston made an early impression as a senior in 2022-2023, participating in all 39 games, starting 38 of them, and finishing first on the team in assists with an average of 4.7 per game. He also averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

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In the NCAA National Championship game against San Diego State, he scored a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and finished 8 of 8 from the foul line. He was added to the All-Star Team for the Final Four. In the same season, Triston broke the record for UConn with two triple-doubles: 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against Buffalo on November 15, 2022.

An impressive baller’s resume

Triston Newton was a standout player during his time as a letterman at Burges High School in El Paso, Texas. He had an impressive career stat line of 3,266 points, 853 rebounds, 472 assists, and 334 steals. In his senior year, he led the Mustangs to the District 1-5A title and ranked first in Texas and sixth nationally in scoring, with an average of 37.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.

After graduating, Newton pursued his basketball career at ECU. This season, he was honored with the All-AAC second-team award, averaging 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Newton was a standout facilitator in the conference, ranking second in assists and third in points in the AAC.

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Newton led the league in free throw shooting with an impressive 87.9% and made more trips to the line than any other player, except for Player of the Year Kendric Davis. Newton had an impressive run, with eight 20-point games, including thirty against Western Carolina in November and 32 against Tulane in the AAC opening. He also had eleven assists in a win against South Florida in February.