BOSTON — At the time, the addition didn’t generate much buzz. Sure, Tristen Newton averaged more than 17 points two years ago at East Carolina along with strong rebounding and assist numbers, but that was for a bottom-feeder program in the pedestrian AAC. Nobody could have predicted then what was to come for either Newton or Connecticut. He’s played 76 games and won 65 of them since transferring. He’s undefeated across nine NCAA Tournament games and was an Associated Press first-team All-American and the AP Big East Player of the Year this season. “You can make a case for the greatest career that any guard has ever had while wearing a uniform at UConn while he’s at UConn,” coach Dan Hurley said of his 6-foot-5 point guard, who is posting elite numbers of 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists while
shooting better than 42 percent from the field. That could be overstating things, considering Connecticut can count guards such as Ben Gordon, Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, Richard Hamilton and Ray Allen among its alumni. But as far as transfers go, few players have enjoyed more success than Newton. The El Paso,
Texas, native heard from a lot of schools upon entering the transfer portal, but he only visited Connecticut. Unlike others who wanted him to play off the ball, the Huskies recruited him as a point guard. Newton liked the surrounding pieces around him such as Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo who complemented him well. That appealed to him. So did the extra demands Hurley puts on his players. “The practices were a lot harder and a lot tougher than I thought they were going to be,” Newton recalled as No. 1 Connecticut prepared to meet third-seeded Illinois in the Elite Eight on Saturday. “Obviously, I wanted to be pushed to another level. Being where I was, I wasn’t pushed to be the
basketball player I can be. Being pushed like that really helped me out this year and it turned out well for us this year.” Added Newton: “I’m not that big of a social guy. Me and Coach Hurley, we’re opposite personalities. That’s really what brought me in, because I couldn’t have anyone like me let me be casual and just be comfortable.” That’s obviously not going to happen with the maniacal Hurley, who is as intense as coaches come. Connecticut talked big with Newton during his recruitment. Assistant coach Kimani Young on the first recruiting call brought up the Final Four last year being in Newton’s home state of Texas. The plan was to get there. Expectations were through the roof and Newton has exceeded them. “When I committed here, we knew we were going to do good things, get to the Final Four, win a lot of games and stuff like that,” he said. “I feel like it was planned and Coach Hurley had the right roster, and the plan and the scheme to get to the Final Four. I knew coming back for a second year we could do the same thing.”