Tristen Newton called up to the Houston Rockets, Tage Thompson scores for Team USA
Tristen Newton
On Monday, Tristen Newton was called up from the G-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers to the Houston Rockets. Newton has only practiced and worked out with the NBA squad, but this is obviously great news for the back-to-back National Champion. In 15 regular season games with the Vipers, Newton is averaged 24.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Newton registered four straight 30+ point games from January 20th-January 26th and scored a career-high 41 points back on December 20th when was with the Iowa Wolves (Minnesota Timberwolves G-League affiliate).
Newton has appeared in 8 career NBA games, five with the Indiana Pacers and three with the Timberwolves last season. The 2024 second round pick scored his first career points on November 22nd, 2024 against Andre Jackson Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tage Thompson
Team USA dismantled Team Latvia 5-1 in the opening game of the preliminary round of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Thompson scored the team’s third goal of the night, a back-handed, top shelf wrist shot to put the Americans up 3-1 in the second period. Thompson became the first player ever from the University of Connecticut to score a goal in Olympic men’s hockey.
Team USA’s next game will be this upcoming Saturday at 3:10pm ET against Team Denmark.
Donovan Clingan
Folks, Donovan Clingan is becoming a budding superstar in the NBA. On Thursday, Clingan flated out dominated the Utah Jazz, scoring 23 points with 18 rebounds, career-high seven assists, zero turnovers and three blocks. Clingan shot 8-of-12 from the field and 7-of-9 from the line. He is the first Trail Blazers player with 20-15-5 and 0 turnovers since Scottie Pippen on February 4th, 2003. It is the 21st double-double of the season for Clingan as the Trail Blazers took down the Jazz 135-119.
On Monday, Clingan scored his 1,000th career NBA point on a three-pointer in the Trail Blazers 135-108 victor Monday’s 135-108 win over the Phildelphia 76ers. Clingan is ranked 25th all-time in UConn-NBA history with 1,040 career points. Up next is Marcus Williams (1,128 NBA career points). Clingan had made 10 of his last 22 (45.4%) three-pointers over his last six games.
Andre Drummond
Drummond played in back-to-back games for the first time in a month (1/9 + 1/11). On Monday he started and scored 11 points in 27 minutes of action. He shot 5-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-2 from behind the arc while pulling down seven rebounds with a season-high five assists in the Philadelphia 76ers 113-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
On Wednesday, Drummond came off the bench and scored just two points in 11 minutes. The 76ers were trounced by the New York Knicks, 138-89.
Stephon Castle
In the second quarter of the San Antonio Spurs’ 136–108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Steph took a hard fall after blocking Rui Hachimura’s dunk attempt in transition. Castle was on the ground for a few minutes but did get up and walk back to the Spurs locker room on his power. He was diagnosed with a pelvic contusion and did not return.
But it seems like the 2024 Big East Freshman of the Year was able to avoid a serious injury as Steph returned to the floor the very next night in the Spurs 126-113 win over the Golden State Warriors. Castle scored 8 points and 4 assists in 21 minutes of action.
The Spurs (38-16) enter the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak and three games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for one seed in the Western Conference.
Tyler Polley (G-League)
Polley continued to play his best basketball in his young G-League career this week after scoring 15 points in back-to-back games on Monday and Thursday. He has now scored in double figures in four straight games and five out of six overall. On Thursday, Polley picked up three of his points on this drive and layup, while avoiding another former Husky….
Samson Johnson (G-League)
After starting the first 19 games of the G-League regular season, Johnson has been coming off the bench over the last three Noblesville Boom (Indiana Pacers G-League affiliate) games. Johnson scored 12 points with two steals and one block in 26 minutes on Tuesday, then added six points, six rebounds and a career-high five assists in 22 minutes on Thursday against Tyler Polley and the College Park Skyhawks. Samson averages just above 20 minutes a game, so despite being removed from the starting lineup, Johnson is stil seeing more than his usual minutes.
Johnson the Boom took down Polley and the Skyhawks 130-129 on Thursday.
Jordan Hawkins
After nine straight games of DNPs for Jordan Hawkins, the 2023 National Champion finally returned to the floor on Monday. With 4:51 left to play and the New Orleans Pelicans leading 109-82 over the Sacramento Kings, Pelicans Interim Head Coach James Borrego called Hawkins’ number, and Hawkins delivered. Hawk scored six points behind back-to-back three-pointers and one assist in the Pelicans 120-94 vicotory.
Unfortunately, Hawkins was once again a healthy scratch in the Pelicans next game on Wednesday as New Orleans fell to the Miami Heat, 123-111.
Cam Spencer
The last two games have not gone so well for Cam Spencer. In the Memphis Grizzlies back-to-back losses against the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets, Spencer averaged just two points per game on 2-of-14 shooting (14.2%), including 0-of-7 from three. Spencer is still finding ways to contribute however, averaging 6.5 assists per game, including a team-high nine assists against the Nuggets on Wednesday.
Andre Jackson Jr.
Jackson Jr. did not see a whole lot of minutes in the Milwaukee Bucks last three games. However, the 2023 second round draft pick did see some first quarter action on Thursday against the defending NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jackson Jr., threw down a thunderous putback dunk.
Jackson Jr. only scored those two points in six total minutes in the Bucks 110-93 win over the Thunder. Earlier in the week he played four “garbage time” minutes in the Bucks 118-99 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday. Then on Wednesday, Jackson Jr. did not play in the Bucks 116-108 victory, again over the Magic due to a “Coach’s Decision.” Jackson Jr. has struggled to find minutes this season and it didn’t get any easier after Milwaukee signed Cam Thomas to a deal this past Sunday. Thomas, who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets last week, has the ability to score in a hurry, including last night when he scored 34 points off the bench in the win over the Magic.
James Bouknight (G-League)
Bouknight and the Mexico City Capitanes (No NBA affiliate) returned to the floor on Wednesday after 11 days off and the former 2021 lottery pick did not miss a beat. Bouknight scored 22 points on Wednesday and a game-high 26 points on Thursday, both against the Stockton Kings (Sacremento Kings G-League affiliate). Over the course of the two games, Bouk shot 16-of-31 (51.6%) from the field, 7-of-14 (50.0%) from three and 5-of-5 (100%) from the line. Overall Bouknight has scored 20+ points in four straight games.
Liam McNeeley
On Monday morning, McNeeley was recalled back up to the Charlotte Hornets. However, McNeeley was not active for either of the last two Hornets games due to a right ankle injury.
The Hornets next game is Thursday February 19th against the Atlanta Hawks after the All-Star break.
NBA All-Star Weekend
It will be a busy NBA All-Star weekend for multiple former Huskies as Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Cam Spencer and Tristen Newon will all be competing in the Rising Stars Game on Friday night at 9pm ET on NBC/ Peacock. Team Melo will feature Castle and Clingan on the same squad. While, Spencer will be on Team T-Mac and Newton will be on Team Austin/G-League.
Richard Hamilton will be competing in the NBA Shooting Stars compeition on Saturday at 5pm ET on NBC/Peacock.
While, James Bouknight is set to compete in the G-League three-point compeition on Saturday.
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