Tristen Newton declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Tristen Newton announced on Wednesday that he would be following in the footsteps of Andre Jackson in declaring for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent and retain his collegiate eligibility. He has one more year of eligibility, which was afforded to all student-athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guard is the fourth UConn player to declare for the draft this offseason, following Jackson, Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo. The latter two have renounced their collegiate eligibility and will remain in the draft.

Newton came to Storrs after three seasons at East Carolina and was a second-team all-American Athletic Conference player in 2021-22.

Despite consistency issues at points through the season, the 6-foot-5 Texas native came up big when it mattered, with a strong NCAA Tournament run. He averaged 9.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for the Huskies during its bid for a title, with a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio.

This includes a 19-point performance in the NCAA Tournament championship game, overcoming some early turnovers to help lead UConn to a comfortable victory.

Newton also had two triple-doubles on the season, accomplishing the feat against Buffalo and Marquette. Newton joined Shabazz Napier as the only Husky to ever record two triple-doubles, and is the first UConn player ever to have two in one season.

With the transfers of Yarin Hasson and Richie Springs, UConn is now three players under the scholarship limit of 13. This would accommodate the returns of both Jackson and Newton, in addition to another player in the transfer portal.