Tristen Newton Declaring for Draft

[ConnHuskBask]

Also, just wanna point out that the staff has obviously known what they were gonna do for awhile now. The fact they haven’t reached out to any replacements probably gives us a hint to which way they’re leaning.

Agree on knowing the staff knowing theywere going to declare but not so sure about the replacements piece.

Seems like they were pretty much all in on Timberlake and him going to Kansas was a bit of a surprise.

They'll figure it out and trust they have info and a plan in place but I think the original plan has been derailed (probably to no fault of the staff).

 

[Khal Drogo]

H

I mean...I thought for sure it was MPG. That? Yes, 25 or so. PPG? Nope. Sanogo was the most skilled offensive center UConn ever had and he didn't manage that. Clingan isn't Wilt. If Hurley lets him shoot 3s and he hits some, 15 PPG is possible.

Zach Edey 22 points per game. UConn has never had a center the size of DC who spparently is 7 ‘3” now,which is 1 inch shorter than ZE. DC did have 20 against Marquette season and tournament champion. We’re not splitting minutes with another center like last year.

 

[Umami Zen]

I would be shocked if AJ/TN declaring and exploring their draft value wasn't always part of the plan.. Dan Hurley will always encourage his guys to take advantage of the valuable feedback that is derived from the pre-draft workouts. As to whether they stay in the draft or return.. Gonna have to wait until May 31st. I'm sure there will be daily statuses/updates/communications with Dan Hurley/staff as to how they're performing and what the NBA guys are saying to them.. I will not be surprised if at least one of them returns.

In the meantime.. There will continue to be additional players hitting the portal and I'm sure Dan Hurley/staff know what kind of talent they're looking for to fill out the roster. Timberlake moving on to Kansas is not the end of the world. Who knows.. Maybe at the famous CG dinner Timberlake figured that TN/AJ were intending to return all along after declaring and he didn't see the PT potential he was looking for..

 

[EBonz30]

I wish Newton the best! I hope you get drafted in 1st round! Would be great to see three Huskies drafted in the first round- probably a pipe dream- but hopefully all four get drafted!!

 

[Deleted at users request]

Right. And all the older guys he played with are basically gone. The idea of another year in college might not appeal to him. We won’t even be having these conversations in another year or two, as the extra Covid year will be gone for most guys. I hope he comes back, they need older, good players. But he graduated and can’t blame him if he wants to go play pro ball somewhere, nothing left to prove in college at this point.

The only reason I’d disagree is that he didn’t hire an agent. Signaling he wants to see what the feedback is and keep the college door open.

I haven’t seen him on any mocks so I’m not sure if he’s going to get feedback that makes him want to make the jump. Andre Jackson would be different though.

 

[GlastonTim]

The only reason I’d disagree is that he didn’t hire an agent. Signaling he wants to see what the feedback is and keep the college door open.

I haven’t seen him on any mocks so I’m not sure if he’s going to get feedback that makes him want to make the jump. Andre Jackson would be different though.

It’s possible he already has an agent/manager. Do players have to announce if they do?

 

[navery12]

H

Zach Edey 22 points per game. UConn has never had a center the size of DC who spparently is 7 ‘3” now,which is 1 inch shorter than ZE. DC did have 20 against Marquette season and tournament champion. We’re not splitting minutes with another center like last year.

Exactly. Zach Edey, the NPOY and one of the most dominant players in a long time, averaged 22 PPG. So the idea that Donovan Clingan is going to average 25 PPG easy is ludicrous. He can and probably will have an unbelievable season, but even the best season imaginable likely doesn't result in 25 easy

 

[Khal Drogo]

You know I changed my comment to 20-25.ppg.
. DC would have had 15 ppg this year as a freshman if he was starting and not splitting minutes. IMO.

 

[Fatroony5]

The only reason I’d disagree is that he didn’t hire an agent. Signaling he wants to see what the feedback is and keep the college door open.

I haven’t seen him on any mocks so I’m not sure if he’s going to get feedback that makes him want to make the jump. Andre Jackson would be different though.

Yeah definitely. I mean, there’s no guarantee he even gets an invite to the combine, I just don’t see him getting drafted. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get into the G League or pursue other professional routes like RJ did. He graduated already, he doesn’t have to come back to school. Again the extra Covid year sort of warped our brains, since these guys get an extra year of eligibility. Two years from now, they just graduate and move on. I want him back but definitely wouldn’t be surprised to see him pursue some pro options at this point.

 

[JohnFSilver]

True, some get good deals, some poor deals and others effectively no guaranteed deals.

Hold on. Every single player who signed out of second round is on an nba deal.

 

[Deleted at users request]

It’s possible he already has an agent/manager. Do players have to announce if they do?

That’s actually a good question… I know they did before NIL because it marked that they were staying in the draft.

Now I’m not sure how NIL has affected having an agent and keeping your college eligibility.

 

[gtcam]

I agree. If Kevin Ollie could make it in the NBA, Tristen who's a much better scorer can.

He steadily improved his game all year, peaking in the championship game, so he's still on the steep part of his learning curve. Now that he's had a year learning how to fit in with strong teammates, he's ready for an eye-opening year at UConn and then the NBA. Getting the NBA feedback now and having a year to fix and rebut criticisms under Hurley's tutelage will help his standings immensely. It proves coachability and ability to keep improving.

KO had intangibles that many players didn't, the strongest was his floor vision and IQ. Newton doesn't come close to KO in that respect.
Newton and AJax are very smart in keeping the return to school option open. I feel/hope they are doing this as a "testing the waters" and seeking no BS assessments from the NBA people.
To be honest, I don't see either as a 1st rounder in 2023 - AJax maybe a very low 1st rounder on a team that will use him as a project rather than a foreign player purely based on his athleticism. Newton is in that area of being vanilla for the NBA - there are a lot like him out there. Jim Calhoun can get them both a place to play overseas if they want to make some decent cash.
I'm happy that UConn is again sending people into the pro ranks - it's very important for this program to do so consistently and with kids who have their heads screwed on in the proper direction. I would not be surprised at all if we see both AJax and Newton wearing a UConn uniform next season. Best wishes to all these hopefuls.

 

[Get a Job]

That’s actually a good question… I know they did before NIL because it marked that they were staying in the draft.

Now I’m not sure how NIL has affected having an agent and keeping your college eligibility.

I seem to recall that the whole hiring-an-agent scenario was changed a few years ago, before NIL was in the picture. Something about a category or list of approved agents that a player could sign with without forfeiting his eligibility? Can someone not speaking out of his or her tuchus help me out here?

 

[GlastonTim]

I seem to recall that the whole hiring-an-agent scenario was changed a few years ago, before NIL was in the picture. Something about a category or list of approved agents that a player could sign with without forfeiting his eligibility? Can someone not speaking out of his or her tuchus help me out here?

I think the agents need ncaa approval and special certification for student athletes

 

[navery12]

This is one of the NCAA certified agencies, so keeping his options open

 

[Phoenixhusky]

This is one of the NCAA certified agencies, so keeping his options open

Good for him. love to see him back, but he has earned those opportunities that are best for him.

 

[Mike Honcho]

H

Zach Edey 22 points per game. UConn has never had a center the size of DC who spparently is 7 ‘3” now,which is 1 inch shorter than ZE. DC did have 20 against Marquette season and tournament champion. We’re not splitting minutes with another center like last year.

Ever heard of Hasheem Thabeet?

 

[HooperScooper]

H

Zach Edey 22 points per game. UConn has never had a center the size of DC who spparently is 7 ‘3” now,which is 1 inch shorter than ZE. DC did have 20 against Marquette season and tournament champion. We’re not splitting minutes with another center like last year.

Hurley doesn't agree with you. And he's the one handing out playing time.

“Donovan’s not going to be able to be a 32 to 34 minutes a game player, nor do we want him to be,” Hurley said. “We want Donovan to be able to be in that 26-to-28-minute range I think in a perfect world and there’s gonna be more frontcourt minutes there.”

With uncertainty looming over roster, UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley calls for patience

With plenty of roster decisions still up in the air, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley is preaching patience as players like Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson decide on their NBA futures…

www.courant.com

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hurley doesn't agree with you. And he's the one handing out playing time.

“Donovan’s not going to be able to be a 32 to 34 minutes a game player, nor do we want him to be,” Hurley said. “We want Donovan to be able to be in that 26-to-28-minute range I think in a perfect world and there’s gonna be more frontcourt minutes there.”

With uncertainty looming over roster, UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley calls for patience

With plenty of roster decisions still up in the air, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley is preaching patience as players like Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson decide on their NBA futures…

www.courant.com

Yeah, all the people saying 30 minutes. Guys that big just can’t play that many minutes. Even if his conditioning improves I’d guess he’s around that 26 minutes. Foul trouble is a potential problem too. He will be more effective with regular breaks.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah, all the people saying 30 minutes. Guys that big just can’t play that many minutes. Even if his conditioning improves I’d guess he’s around that 26 minutes. Foul trouble is a potential problem too. He will be more effective with regular breaks.

Zach Edey averaged 32 minutes per game this past season.

 

[Waquoit]

Zach Edey averaged 32 minutes per game this past season.

How'd that work out for Purdue?

 

[CLAS92]

Just like Andre, this is the logical decision. Get feedback and if it's not what he wants to hear, come back. Congrats Tristen

Even if they don’t come back, Hurley will be fighting them off with a stick in the transfer portal.

 

[superjohn]

How'd that work out for Purdue?

We know they lost first round and that everyone outside of Edey fell apart and couldn't make threes. What does that have to do with HuskyHawk saying guys that big just can't play that many minutes?

 

[Khal Drogo]

How'd that work out for Purdue?

Big ten regular season and tournament championship. Player of the year. Lol

 

[auror]

How'd that work out for Purdue?

They got a 1 seed.

Edey had 21 and 15 with 3 blocks in the game they lost.

 

[auror]

Clingan has a high motor. He's not quite at Sanogo's legendary workrate flashing around the paint on the offensive end, but outside of the high hedge he's much more active defensively and in transition. Sanogo was able to work that hard because he only had to play 26.6 min per night.

Clingan was in worse shape coming in and is only 1 year into better conditioning. He's not going to be able to play more than 30 minutes this year very often and certainly not as an average. We're going to need either Samson or Singare (or maybe a portal depth piece) to give us 12 min a night at the 5.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Zach Edey averaged 32 minutes per game this past season.

He averaged this much because they had no backup and virtually no other scoring on the roster. It made Purdue's offense incredibly predictable and one-dimensional.

The structure we used this year with Sanogo and Clingan is perfect. I'd love to see Donovan slide into the 26-28 mpg as the starter and have one or both of Singare and Samson backup off the bench to spell him. Keeps Donovan fresh and limits his ability to get in foul trouble.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Yeah, all the people saying 30 minutes. Guys that big just can’t play that many minutes. Even if his conditioning improves I’d guess he’s around that 26 minutes. Foul trouble is a potential problem too. He will be more effective with regular breaks.

Big men can’t play that much in modern basketball tbh. Old days, a big man could sit in the paint and just put his hands up.

Now? They are asking big men to be mobile defensively and then run the floor. Donovan runs the floor, incredibly for his size, but that takes a lot of energy.

 

[superjohn]

He averaged this much because they had no backup and virtually no other scoring on the roster. It made Purdue's offense incredibly predictable and one-dimensional.

The structure we used this year with Sanogo and Clingan is perfect. I'd love to see Donovan slide into the 26-28 mpg as the starter and have one or both of Singare and Samson backup off the bench to spell him. Keeps Donovan fresh and limits his ability to get in foul trouble.

The structure we used this year doesn't happen anywhere else. It was totally unique and the biggest reason we won the national championship. We had 2 of the best centers in the entire country playing on the same team and one of them was the best 6th man in the country.

Playing Zach Edey 32 minutes per game worked amazingly well for Purdue considering their lack of talent and freshman backcourt. They won the Big 10 regular season, the Big 10 tournament, and were a 1 seed. The reason they lost first round is because the rest of the team kind of sucks, they shot like 15% from three, and the Big 10 style doesn't adapt well in the tournament when they run into a bunch of little guys who play fast and can shoot from all over.

 

[Waquoit]

We know they lost first round and that everyone outside of Edey fell apart and couldn't make threes. What does that have to do with HuskyHawk saying guys that big just can't play that many minutes?

Didn't Sanogo just get the MOP after playing many fewer minutes then the year before?