Christian Haynes wins Super Bowl LX, Castle puts up a Historic NBA Performance
Christian Haynes
Seattle Seahawks Guard and former UConn Husky Christian Haynes hoisted the Lombardi Trophy last night after the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. Haynes, who played five seasons at UConn from 2018–2023, became the 12th different former Husky to be on the active roster for the Super Bowl and the fifth former Husky to win a Super Bowl.
Haynes joins Andrew Adams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl LV Champion), Anthony Sherman (Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl LIV Champion), Obi Melifonwu (New England Patriots, Super Bowl LIII Champion), Will Beatty (New York Giants, Super Bowl LII Champion) and Nick Giaquinto (Washington, Super Bowl XVII Champion).
Stephon Castle
Stephon Castle recorded one of the best performances in NBA history this past Saturday after scoring a career-high 40 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 12 assists in the San Antonio Spurs 138-125 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The triple-double was the second of Castle’s season and career, but it was his efficient shooting that separated him among some of the NBA’s greats
Castle went 15-of-19 from the field, 3-of-5 from three and 7-of-10 from the free throw line and joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in NBA history with a 40-point triple-double on 75% shooting. The 2024 National Champion is the ninth different player in UConn-NBA history to score 40 points in a game, joining Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Kemba Walker, Charlie Villaneuva, Cliff Robinson, Caron Butler and Rudy Gay. However, Castle did set himself apart from these UConn legends, becoming the first player in UConn–NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double.
Donovan Clingan/Cam Spencer
Spencer and Clingan went head-to-head in Portland on Friday night and both former Huskies put up solid performances.
DC recorded his 19th double-double of the season after scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 1-of-1 from the free throw line while hauling in 17 rebounds. Spencer scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 2-of-2 from the line. He also chipped in with five assists, picked up two steals and one block. The Trail Blazers won 135-115.
The Grizzlies and Blazers squared off in a rematch on Saturday night, but Spencer did not play while nursing a right ankle injury. Meanwhile, Clingan recorded his second straight double-double and 20th of the season, finishing with 20 points and 19 rebounds. He shot 8-of-15 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line, while adding three assists, one steal, and two blocks as the Trail Blazers swept the two-game mini-series against the Grizzlies with a 122–115 win.
Tage Thompson
Thompson netted his 30th goal of the season in the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Thursday. The NHL is now on a near three-week Olympic break during which Thompson will represent Team USA at the Milano Cortina Games. The Americans will play three preliminary round games from Thursday February 12th-Sunday February 15th. Thursday (Lativa, 9:10pm ET on the USA Network), Saturday (Denmark, 9:10pm ET on the USA Network) and Sunday (Germany, 9:10pm ET on the USA Network).
Thompson is the first-ever former UConn Men's Hockey player to compete for Team USA.
Tyrese Martin
On Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets waived Tyrese Martin. After a strong 2024 training camp, the Nets signed Martin to a two-way deal on October 19th, 2024. Martin continued to impress the Nets front office with performances like his career-high 30 points back on November 27th, 2024 against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns to help him earn an NBA standard contract. Martin played 113 career games with the Nets across two seasons from 2024–2026, averaging 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 40.1 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three, and 77.4 percent at the free throw line in 17.8 minutes per game.
Liam McNeeley (G-League/NBA)
McNeeley has been in and out of the lineup over the last week. On Monday, McNeeley did not play in the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets G-League affiliate) 126-103 victory over the Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls G-League affiliate) due to a back injury. McNeeley returned to the starting lineup on Friday in the Swarm’s 140-135 loss to the Cleveland Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers G-League affiliate). The 2025 Big East Freshman of the Year scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 2-of-3 from three and 4-of-4 from the free throw line in 38 minutes. However, McNeeley did not suit up the following night against the Charge due to an ankle injury. The condition of his ankle is unclear, but McNeeley is clearly battling a few injuries.
On Monday morning, McNeeley was recalled back up to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets host the Detroit Pistons tonight at 7pm ET.
Tyler Polley (G-League)
Polley recorded his first career G-League double-double this past Saturday afternoon. Polley scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the College Park Skyhawks (Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate) 141-136 win over the Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers G-League affiliate). The former Husky shot 6-of-11 from the field, 3-of-7 from behind the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line in a career-high 39 minutes.
Tristen Newton (G-League)
Newton came up big late in the fourth quarter in the Rio Grande Valley Grand Vipers (Houston Rockets G-League affiliate) 112-111 over the Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs G-League affiliate) this past Saturday. With the score tied at 108 with under three minutes to play, Newton scored back-to-back buckets to give the Vipers a four-point lead as his team eventually held onto the one-point victory. In total, Newton scored 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting including 2-of-6 from behind the arc. The former Husky also posted nine rebounds, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes.
Samson Johnson (G-League)
Johnson scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 1of-1 from the free throw line in the Noblesville Boom (Indiana Pacers G-League affiliate) 119-114 loss to the Osceola Magic (Orlando Magic G-League affiliate) this past Friday night. The back-to-back National Champion also snagged seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 21 minutes. Johnson has now scored in double figures 11 times this season.
Andre Jackson Jr./Jordan Hawkins/Andre Drummond
In the days following the trade deadline, the three former Huskies who could have benefited from a fresh start, did not see the floor for their respective teams.
Andre Jackson Jr. did not play in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 105–99 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night due to a coach’s decision, as Milwaukee extended its winning streak to three games. Jordan Hawkins did not play for a ninth straight game because of a coach’s decision in the Pelicans’ 119–115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. His last game action came on Sunday, Jan. 18. Finally, Andre Drummond did not appear in either of the two Philadelphia 76er games since the trade deadline, also due to a coach’s decision.
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