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Tristen Newton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tristen Newton
Newton in 2023
No. 4 – Indiana Pacers
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-04-26) April 26, 2001 (age 23)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolBurges (El Paso, Texas)
College
NBA draft2024: 2nd round, 49th overall pick
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentIndiana Pacers
2024–presentIndiana Mad Ants
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Tristen Jamal Newton (born April 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Indiana Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the East Carolina Pirates and the UConn Huskies.

High school career

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Newton played at Burges High School in El Paso, Texas, where his team routinely traveled great distances to play top teams in the large metro areas of Texas. Newton scored 3,266 points in high school and led the state in scoring as a senior at 37.2 points per game.[1]

College career

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Newton found success at East Carolina, entering the starting lineup as a freshman and averaging 11 points and 3.7 assists per game. He set the Pirates' program record for assists in a season by a freshman.[2] He improved for his next two seasons, culminating in a junior season where he averaged 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He was named to the All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) second team at the close of the season.[3]

Following the dismissal of his coach Joe Dooley after the 2021–22 season, Newton decided to transfer from East Carolina.[4] He heard from over 30 schools after putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal, ultimately choosing the University of Connecticut (UConn), where coach Dan Hurley saw his playmaking as a missing piece for his Big East Conference team. Newton earned the starting point guard role and became the second player in program history to record two triple-doubles, joining Shabazz Napier. At the close of the season, Newton helped lead the Huskies to the sixth Final Four in school history and later, with a double-double, to UConn's fifth NCAA championship in 2023.[5]

Newton returned to the program for the 2023–24 season after initially declaring for the 2023 NBA draft.[6] During a game against Manhattan, Newton notched his third triple-double of his career with the Huskies, becoming the first player in program history to do so.[7] He notched his fourth triple-double of his career against Villanova, becoming the first power conference player to have four or more triple-doubles since Shaquille O'Neal got six.[8] In the NCAA tournament, he led the Huskies to back-to-back championships, was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the tournament, and became a member of the Huskies of Honor.[9]

Professional career

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On June 27, 2024, Newton was selected with the 49th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA draft[10] and on July 27, he signed a two-way contract with them.[11]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 East Carolina 31 19 29.9 .390 .324 .802 4.5 3.7 1.2 .3 11.0
2020–21 East Carolina 17 16 31.5 .348 .262 .895 4.3 4.2 1.2 .3 8.7
2021–22 East Carolina 30 30 34.8 .435 .333 .879 4.8 5.0 1.4 .3 17.7
2022–23 UConn 39 38 28.8 .374 .366 .816 4.5 4.7 1.1 .3 10.1
2023–24 UConn 40 40 33.2 .415 .321 .808 6.6 6.2 .9 .3 15.1
Career 157 143 31.6 .402 .327 .831 5.1 4.9 1.2 .3 12.8

Personal life

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Newton's older brother, Jawaun, played college basketball for the Evansville Purple Aces and Southern Illinois Salukis.[12] He is a cousin of football players Aaron and Alvin Jones.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Arruda, Joe (January 28, 2023). "Confidence is key for UConn point guard Tristen Newton and Dan Hurley thinks he's unlocked it". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "ECU hoops finishes 11th; Godwin passes LeClair". Daily Reflector. March 8, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Newton Named To All-AAC Second Team". East Carolina Pirates. March 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 13, 2022). "East Carolina transfer, second-team All-AAC guard Tristen Newton commits to UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Martinez, Quinton (April 1, 2023). "'Ready for a stage like this': After move to UConn, Burges' Newton plays in Final Four". El Paso Times. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Borzello, Jeff (May 31, 2023). "Newton opts out of NBA draft, returns to UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Borges, David (November 24, 2023). "UConn men's basketball rolls to win as Tristen Newton sets record with third triple-double as Husky". CTInsider.com. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Dayton, Kels (February 29, 2024). "Tristen Newton's name now next to Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson on NCAA's all-time triple double list". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "Tristen Newton inducted into Huskies of Honor upon arrival back at Gampel with champion UConn men". Courant.com. April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Frank, Evan (June 27, 2024). "'One of the best transfers': NBA Draft grades for new Pacers G Tristen Newton at No. 49". IndyStar.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign Jackson and Newton to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "Jawaun Newton". Iowa State Cyclones. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Packers running back Aaron Jones was a proud cousin and one of the UConn men's basketball team's biggest supporters during its national championship run". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 4, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
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