STORRS, Conn. — Tristen Newton will return to the UConn Huskies men's basketball team for his extra season of eligibility for 2023-24.
Newton, who helped lead the Huskies to their fifth national championship this year, had initially declared for the NBA draft.
Newton was an All-Final Four selection and UConn's lead scorer with 19 points in the win over San Diego State, and was the team's starting point guard throughout the 2022-23 season. He previously did three seasons at East Carolina.
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While Newton has played four years of college basketball, he is taking advantage of the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA to student-athletes who went through the COVID-19 pandemic seasons, according to UConn Athletics.
UConn said that Newton was invited to the G-League Elite Camp in Chicago two weeks ago and there, he received "valuable feedback" from NBA scouts. He had until midnight of May 31 to decide whether or not he'd take his extra year.
Counting his three seasons at East Carolina, Newton has scored 1,410 points, grabbed 531 rebounds and handed out 522 assists in his college career.
Newton’s decision gives the Huskies six returning scholarship players, with junior guard Andre Jackson still to make his decision regarding the NBA Draft.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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