HOUSTON — Naturally, the most dominant NCAA tournament team in a generation would have an East Carolina transfer running the point.
Because of course.
But the tale of how Tristen Newton found his way to Connecticut, a national title and a spot on the all-Final Four team does start there, draped in purple, in Greenville, where he spent three seasons playing for the only team that offered him a scholarship.
There’s more than that to it, but that’s where it starts.
“I knew coming out of high school I could be on this stage,” Newton said, “but ECU really helped me build my game and turn me into the man I am today.”
Among the highlights of his career at East Carolina was a 25-point performance late in his freshman season, in a 21-point loss to the Huskies in what was then a conference game, before UConn returned to the Big East.
Dan Hurley never forgot that. When Newton entered the transfer portal last spring after Joe Dooley was fired at ECU, Hurley was there waiting, with a promise.
“He said, ‘I remember you from giving us 25 your freshman year,’” Newton said, “‘and if you come here we’re going to go to a Final Four and win a national championship.’ I owe it to my coaches for calling me and getting me here so we could do this thing.”
Monday night, the Huskies’ alleged weakest link was an attacking force, slashing through the battle-hardened San Diego State defense, creating open looks for his teammates, scoring seven straight points to extend what turned out to be an insurmountable lead late in the first half and recording a points-rebounds double-double — as a point guard! — and helping Hurley deliver on that pledge.
Newton finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a 76-59 win over San Diego State that delivered UConn its fifth national title since 1999, joining Duke and Indiana with a handful, behind only UCLA and Kentucky and North Carolina. The Huskies recorded their six wins by an average of more than 20 points, benefiting from some bracket luck — the highest seed they played was third-seeded Gonzaga, and San Diego State was the third No. 5 seed they beat — but leaving no doubt.
On a team with dominant big men like Adama Sonogo and Donovan Clingan, and shifty wings like Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr., Newton turned out to be the missing link the Huskies needed to get over the top.
“I knew he was going to be a fit as soon as he stepped on campus,” said teammate and roommate Hawkins. “As soon as we shared a room, I knew he was a killer.”
To the transfer go the spoils, and player and coach stood together at center court watching One Shining Moment, a championship flag draped around Newton’s shoulders, the culmination of a dream delivered.
That dream had humble beginnings. No one was all that interested in Newton coming out of El Paso, to the point where he went all the way across the country to Greenville because it was the only option he had.
Steve Roccaforte, a longtime assistant coach, had been monitoring Newton while he was at Virginia Tech, but the Hokies were exploring other options. When he joined Dooley’s staff at East Carolina, he was suddenly more interested. He saw Newton play once and offered him on the spot.
Four years later, he found himself at the center of a cavernous dome not all that far from home, surrounded by celebration, a national champion. In the front row of the stands, wearing a T-shirt with his son’s name and photo on it, Montreal Newton could only marvel at how far Tristen had come.
“He’s always been underrated even out of high school, even through college, even through this year,” Montreal Newton said. “Nobody thought he was a true point guard, and he showed them he could be a true point guard as well as a lead defender.”
But Hurley and Newton shared a vision, and on the last night of the year, they were celebrating together.
“That’s why I came here,” Newton said. “If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t have come here.”
Then again, who would have believed the final piece of UConn’s national title team had been waiting for the Huskies at East Carolina? Believe that, too.
