Can we talk about Tristen Newton for a second?

[huskiesNhoos]

Hey, just remember that lots of posters on this board, huge UConn fans, don't even spell his first name correctly. How's that for under appreciated?
(I'm still not giving up on this. I may die trying.)

I thought that was our greatest sign of respect on this board!

 

[CardiacAndre7]

He doesn't scout well, because he constantly looks like he's about to lose the ball, some of his midrange shots don't look the prettiest, and he shots a low jumper. But he's been absolutely nails so far this year. And he's got the size.

I’ve noticed the lose the ball thing too lol. But he really never does. Probably not always deliberate but could be to draw a defender in to make a mistake. Very funny.

 

[gsmooth]

During the broadcast against Kansas, Jay Bilas said he was one of the best players in the country. Those kind of comments are not spontaneous. He's in the conversation now.

All I know is I don't even want to think about what last Friday night would have looked like without him.

We already know how it would have turned out, blowout city for Kansas. Want to know what that would have looked like? Refer to the 1995 ass kicking Kansas gave UConn by the score of 88-59.

 

[ToolzieFan]

You’d think we all have a pro-Newton bias and are overstating his credentials, but he absolutely is having an All-American season. He’s 6th in KenPom’s national player of the year rankings.

http://kenpom.com/kpoy.php

Introducing the kPOY | The kenpom.com blog

 

[ToolzieFan]

And he’s 9th in the top players rating and 5th in the MVP rankings here. True fans, casual fans, and nerds are all in agreement on a player for once.

EvanMiya CBB Analytics

Advanced college basketball analytics, home of the Bayesian Performance Rating

evanmiya.com

 

[UofCT]

I think Newton can have a KO-like NBA career.

What about Andre Miller?

 

[Samoo]

He was considered the 50th best player in college bball prior to the season by a major publication... certainly not off the radar

CBS top 100 players for 2023

He's considered top 5 by more than a few now. Left off the All-Big East, from 50 to 5, seems like the definition of off the radar/under rated.

 

[CL82]

That is not a good career?

It seemed to define a guy who was a hard worker, which Ollie was, until he wasn't.

 

[NJHoops]

Tristen has always been good. He’s currently great because he now gets going from being the star on a meh team to being a crucial piece on a great team and now a star. Also, figuring out and coaching guys like Tristen is what Hurley loves and is good at, and it makes him a better coach, too.

 

[Huskybass]

That’s actually not a fact, he was on the Sixers for a bunch of years in a row. By all means continue though…

That was the only team out of 13 or 14 who ever kept him for any length of time. He switched teams every year on average . Fact.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

That was the only team out of 13 or 14 who ever kept him for any length of time. He switched teams every year on average . Fact.

It is legitimately insane that you think you have a point here. It’s stunning. A guy who was repeatedly brought in to mentor young stars because of the universal respect people around the league had for him was someone that no one wanted. And you look like an adult in your picture. It’s nuts.

 

[Huskybass]

It is legitimately insane that you think you have a point here. It’s stunning. A guy who was repeatedly brought in to mentor young stars because of the universal respect people around the league had for him was someone that no one wanted. And you look like an adult in your picture.

The guy switched teams 20 times in 13 years. That clearly shows that no team considered him an important piece to their future success. Sorry if you can't handle simple facts.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

The guy switched teams 20 times in 13 years. That clearly shows that no team considered him an important piece to their future success. Sorry if you can't handle simple facts.

He got 13 years in the league. Stop this.

 

[7774]

That was the only team out of 13 or 14 who ever kept him for any length of time. He switched teams every year on average . Fact.

Hey look, you've slightly changed what you said to pretend you're correct even though we both know what you actually said is incorrect.

Great job!

 

[upstater]

Back to Newton, yes he's a very good player, but the BE coaches have scouted and evaluated him and this is what they have to say (& this is AFTER he dominated the national championship game):

Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-4, 190, Oklahoma City, Okla.
*Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Sr., 7-1, 270, St. Louis, Mo.
Bryce Hopkins, Providence, F-G, Jr., 6-7, 220, Oak Park, Ill.
Joel Soriano, St. John’s, C, Sr., 6-11, 255, Yonkers, N.Y.
Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-4, 210, Fort Washington, Md.

Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Donovan Clingan, Connecticut, C, So., 7-2, 280, Bristol, Conn.
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-7, 205, Aurora, Neb.
Oso Ighodaro, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-11, 225, Chandler, Ariz.
Kam Jones, Marquette, G, Jr., 6-5, 200, Memphis, Tenn.
Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, R-Sr., 6-8, 255, Willow Grove, Pa.

Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Alex Karaban, Connecticut, F, R-So., 6-8, 220, Southborough, Mass.
Devin Carter, Providence, G, Jr., 6-3, 195, Miami, Fla.
Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, Gr., 6-9, 227, Teaneck, N.J.
*unanimous selection

 

[Huskybass]

Hey look, you've slightly changed what you said to pretend you're correct even though we both know what you actually said is incorrect.

Great job!

Outside of Larry Brown who kept him for 4 years, he played for 18 or 19 teams over the other 9 years. Those are the simple facts.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Outside of Larry Brown who kept him for 4 years, he played for 18 or 19 teams over the other 9 years. Those are the simple facts.

Some four decades ago, while still (attempting to be) serious about playing baseball (at a time when batting .200 in the major leagues was viewed as terrible) a few buddies and I were discussing if we would be happy if we made it to the big leagues but only batter our weight. My response was "hell, I'd be thrilled if I made it to the major league and batted my age".

Even if, we were to remove the years under Larry Brown, your post above illustrates an additional nine years in the NBA. That in and of itself is still a hell of an accomplishment. Nearly every other point guard we've had (including some who won the national title) cannot make that claim, I'm not sure why you are being so quick to belittle it.

 

[gsmooth]

You’d think we all have a pro-Newton bias and are overstating his credentials, but he absolutely is having an All-American season. He’s 6th in KenPom’s national player of the year rankings.

View attachment 93781

http://kenpom.com/kpoy.php

Introducing the kPOY | The kenpom.com blog

This certainly validates what are eyes are seeing and that is Newton is absolutely playing at an All-American level. I shudder to think how the Kansas game would have turned out if Newton didn't play so well (thin UConn losing 88-59 in 1995 to Kansas). I will go as far as to say for a regular season game, that will be the best and most impactful individual performance this season considering the build up and hype of that game. Regular season of course, we all know conference tournament games and the NCAAT games the stakes are higher and good performances in those games mean more.

 

[7774]

Outside of Larry Brown who kept him for 4 years, he played for 18 or 19 teams over the other 9 years. Those are the simple facts.

Right, so instead of no team wanting to keep him like you said was true, the actual truth is one team did want to keep him. I know this is challenging for you somehow.

Keep closing all your posts with "these are the facts", it's definitely preventing you from looking like an idiot in this situation.

 

[ctchamps]

Outside of Larry Brown who kept him for 4 years, he played for 18 or 19 teams over the other 9 years. Those are the simple facts.

Every time I needed a construction job there was a sequence to the process of building. The carpenters came and did their thing, the roofers came and did their thing, the electricians came and did their thing, the plumbers came and did their thing and so on.

Kevin made a career in the NBA because he was recognized as an individual who was adept at helping young players adapt to the NBA and was excellent at teaching them how to play in the league. He carved out a role as a player coach. He was not good enough to continue playing for teams once he finished his "job" in the team construction.

But other teams needed that same service so he became a player coach journeyman.

It is the reason why JC wanted him as a replacement. The first two years imo it was a great choice. Not so after that. What KO did in the NBA and those first two seasons at UConn is why I feel strongly that it was the implosion of his personal life that led to the change that we observed during his final years at UConn.

 

[HooperScooper]

Can you back up where you said he was "the most important personnel decision" for their season? It's only because, back then you were also bragging about Mac Jones so, you know....it might help to have the backup on this one.

On July 29, 2023 I wrote this:

I think Newton coming back was probably the most important offseason development. Having an experienced guard like that, especially for such a young team, is huge.

Here's the link to the post.

'Exclusive Season Ticket Holder Practice' - Saturday 7/29 at Univ of St Joseph

It's beautiful.

www.the-boneyard.com

Need anything else from me, sir?

 

[ChickenJoe9]

What I find fascinating is about eighteen months ago, when a few of our guards transferred out, many felt it was the end of the world.

Things fell into place better than anyone could have hoped.

I still would have liked to have Naheim this year, but I can't fault him for getting paid.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I still would have liked to have Naheim this year, but I can't fault him for getting paid.

Yeah, but I was referring to Floyd (PC), Gaffney (FAU) and Diggins (UMass) a year earlier.

Some on this board were losing their minds. I was concerned, not fully in the overall talent that had departed (although being without a PG can be scary), but that a mass exodus such as that in earlier days was normally indicative of some cultural flaw with the coaching staff.

The new world of the transfer portal was the true cause (not something internal) of the departures and our response was borderline perfect.

 

[Husky25]

I think Newton can have a KO-like NBA career.

According to NBAscoutinglive dot com, he is still (as of 12/2) a 2nd rounder/undrafted player.

Every one of the Pros leads me to predict an end of 1st rd projection, whereas the cons seem to be reaches. One in particular ("overshadowed by higher profile teammates") is both curious and hilarious at the same time. It's a throwaway comment that has no insight on individual talent and even downplays how he would fit on an NBA team.

Newton's age is a negative and indicates that he is likely close to his ceiling, but there is no reason he can't fill the 6th man combo-guard microwave off the bench.

 

[boba]

Outside of Larry Brown who kept him for 4 years, he played for 18 or 19 teams over the other 9 years. Those are the simple facts.

Simple is a good adjective to describe your argument.
Please justify your argument with your experience in dealing situations in scenarios such as the NBA. There are not many people who are paid significant amounts of money for providing advice and for simply being there. Moreover in situations where the talent pool is small and known, being brought in demonstrates someone places value one's talent and knowledge. The fact that someone is consistently hired speaks more than that you appear to give credit.