Burges High Graduate Tristen Newton Wins Back-To-Back NCAA Championships

Tristen Newton and the UConn men's basketball team are national champions for back-to-back seasons after the Huskies dominated Purdue in a 75-60 win on Monday night.

The Burges High School graduate in Newton was the leading scorer for the Huskies at 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, along with seven assists and five rebounds (zero turnovers). Newton also led UConn in scoring (19 points) during their 2023 NCAA title win against San Diego State (76-59).

Newton, a fifth-year senior, was named the winner of the Naismith Hall of Fame's Bob Cousey Award, which recognizes the top point guard in Divison I men's basketball this past weekend. He was also named a consensus First Team All-American after leading UConn in scoring (15 points per game) and assists (6.0 per game). He was up in most of his averages from last season where he averaged 10 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Prior to starring at UConn, Newton started his college career at East Carolina. He is also the cousin of Aaron and Alvin Jones.

Upon testing the NBA Draft waters after the 2023 title, Newton decided to come back to UConn for his senior season. He will be a notable prospect in the upcoming draft.

Alongside Newton, on the coaching staff at UConn is Kimani Young, who played basketball at UTEP under legendary Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. He scored 1,000 career points over his career with the Miners.