Confidence is key for UConn point guard Tristen Newton and Dan Hurley thinks he’s unlocked it
Paul Gutierrez, head boys basketball coach at Burges High in El Paso, Texas, knew he had a special talent on his hands when Tristen Newton came up.
Tucked away in the western corner of the state, about seven hours from San Antonio and eight and a half from Dallas, El Paso is relatively hidden from recruiters. So Gutierrez scheduled about 30 games against Dallas, San Antonio and Houston metroplex teams during Newton’s four years.
He knew he needed to leave El Paso’s mountain time and cross into the central time zone so his star player could test his talent against the state’s best.
It’s a long way from El Paso to the big cities of Texas. It’s an even longer way to Storrs and the big time of a program like UConn, where Newton is trying to establish himself as the point guard for the Huskies after transferring in from East Carolina.
In Newton’s sophomore year, Burges had a regional playoff game against Coronado of Lubbock and guard Jarrett Culver, who would later become a second-team All-American in his second and final year at Texas Tech before being picked No. 6 in the 2019 NBA draft.
“They knew T,” Gutierrez said. “They said, ‘We’re gonna guard this guy tight, we’re not gonna let him breathe. And T went off script.”
With a menacing lack of regard for whoever was guarding him Newton went off script for 51 points.
“One of the greatest games I’ve ever seen as a high school coach,” Gutierrez remembered, “and it didn’t faze him though. He hit those buckets and he was just happy for his team to win.”
Newton scored 50 points as a senior against Mansfield Timberview, the eventual state champions. He surpassed the 3,000-point milestone that year and finished his high school career with 3,266 points, 853 rebounds, 472 assists and 334 steals. A pure scorer, Newton sat atop the state when he averaged 37.2 points as a senior with 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
All of the sudden, the public high school was making waves in the state limelight because of one player.
“We put him in front of big-time players so that way he could get used to it because we’re so far away from everybody. I tried my best to give him the experience against major players, against major teams, so he can be ready for a spotlight,” Gutierrez said.
“That was unique to Tristen. Those four years I was very selective in the tournaments we went to and made sure that the competition level was next level the four years that Tristen was here so that way he could get all of that competition in.”
‘I’ve seen him smile more at UConn’
When he was an underclassman at Burges, with the attention diverted to other players on the team – including his older brother Jawaun, who is in his fifth year of college basketball at Southern Illinois after four at Evansville – Newton was able to develop as a shooter. It wouldn’t be long before his talent commanded all of the attention.
Newton always had confidence in his abilities, according to Gutierrez, thanks to the support he got from Jawaun.
“Even when Tristen had a bad game or having a bad shooting half, his brother always reminded him how great of a player he is,” Gutierrez said. “And I think that helped Tristen throughout his high school career knowing that he doesn’t lack the talent, skill, to compete with anyone.”
Upping the competition after averaging 17.8 points, 5.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds in his third year at East Carolina last season, Jawaun’s supporting role for Tristen has fallen on Dan Hurley and the UConn coaching staff.
“All year (coaches) have been telling me to be aggressive, attack the paint to score,” Newton said after Wednesday’s game, an 82-79 loss to Xavier. “I feel like I’m at my best when I attack to score, get to the free throw line and when I attack, draw two, kick it to my shooters and our bigs.”
After a 23-point performance and his critical role in UConn’s second-half scoring outburst that came just short of a thrilling comeback against the Big East-leading Musketeers, Hurley said: “I think Tristen, I think he’s unlocked something here. We’ve empowered him more, that was great to see.”
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With that empowerment Newton has answered the bell and begun getting comfortable in a relatively foreign role in Storrs where he no longer has to be the guy but instead the facilitator of UConn’s talented group.
“I saw his last year at East Carolina and a lot of teams keyed on him, everybody was double-teaming him, going after him. It kind of felt like I was looking at him back in high school, everybody just attacking him,” Gutierrez said. “And this year, I just see how it’s the real Tristen, where if you put him with four other players that can score and can play, Tristen can not be guarded one-on-one.”
The pressure isn’t new to Newton. It is hard for schools in El Paso to make the Texas state tournament where Dallas, Houston and San Antonio schools possess most of the talent.
“They have five players that are legit and we have one player that’s legit and everybody else was like a regular public school, 5-5 kid. So there was a lot of pressure on him to be the best and for his team to be the best, you wouldn’t always get that natural smile of enjoying the game,” Gutierrez said. “And that’s why, this year when I’m watching (UConn) play, and I’m seeing them have fun, I’ve enjoyed that. I’ve enjoyed seeing that big smile of his.”
Triple-double
When Newton got to UConn he competed with Hassan Diarra, a defensive-minded New York City guard, for the starting spot. It took a couple games for his shot to fall. He went 0-for-5 in the season-opener with nine points at the free throw line. In his third game, Newton earned loads of love from the UConn faithful.
When it was time for the 6-foot-5 point guard to check out of the Nov. 15 game against Buffalo, Hurley turned to the crowd and waved his arms, enticing a standing ovation in Hartford’s XL Center.
Newton finished that night with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and a block. It was the 12th triple-double in program history and the first since Daniel Hamilton recorded one in December of 2015.
“For a new guy who’s a transfer that’s going to such a high level of expectation and standards in college basketball, really like top of the food chain in college basketball, and us needing him to play at a high level right away – I just wanted him to hear it from that crowd,” Hurley said after that game. “And maybe that’s a moment where now he becomes like a UConn – not a transfer guard, he’s like a UConn guard now.”
Newton played his best game of the season to open the Phil Knight Invitational where his 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting from the field (5 of 6 from 3), six assists, four rebounds and two steals led the Huskies to an 83-59 win over Oregon. His production slowed since then with double-digit scoring games coming on occasion.
“When he locks in, he’s amazing,” Gutierrez said. “Sometimes I feel he is too passive. I wish he would dominate more because he can, he can take over a game. He does have the tools, he does have the ability to put up 20 points every single game, he does have that ability. And I wish sometimes he would do that.”
Though the turnover numbers have been up, Newton has been a bright spot for the Huskies (16-6, 5-6 Big East) over the last couple of games since he put up a goose egg in the loss to St. John’s Jan. 15.
Hurley, recently acknowledging a need for more off-script offense, may have found the key to unlock Newton at his best.
“Watching him play this year, I’ve really enjoyed the smile on his face, I’ll be honest with you,” said Gutierrez, who can tell if Newton is going to have a good shooting night based on the snap of his hand on a jumper. “I think he seems more relaxed. Looks like he’s having fun, and I think that’s huge. Because everybody knew Tristen here and the pressure was on him to succeed and be excellent, and everybody came after him. But he handled it, he handled it as best as he could and I admire him for that.”
