Hawkins Flying High Again, What a Double-Double in the G League Finals Means for McNeeley
Liam McNeeley (G League)
The Greensboro Swarm (the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate) are in the G League Finals for the first time in franchise history after going 24–12 during the regular season and, as a result, earning the number two seed for the postseason. McNeeley and the Swarm then rattled off three straight win-or-go-home games in the first three rounds of the playoffs to secure a spot in the best-of-three Finals. The former Husky posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Swarm’s 118–108 second-round win over the fifth-seeded Capital City Go-Go (the Washington Wizards’ G League affiliate). He then scored 20 points with seven rebounds and six assists in the Swarm’s 134–121 victory over the Eastern Conference top-seeded Osceola Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Swarm’s opponent in the Finals is the Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings’ G League affiliate), last year’s G League champions, who also had a former Husky, Joey Calcaterra, on their roster.
In Wednesday’s Game 1, McNeeley recorded his fourth double-double of the season (and second of the postseason) to help the Swarm secure a 111–107 victory over Stockton. The (still) head-bandless McNeeley scored 14 points with 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes of action.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, April 10th, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU and the ESPN app. A Swarm win would make them G League champions. However, if they fall short, there will be a winner-take-all Game 3 back in Greensboro on Monday, April 13th, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and the ESPN app.
Tristen Newton (G League)
Newton also participated in the G League postseason, as his four-seeded Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate) defeated the five-seeded Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs’ G League affiliate) 117–106 in the opening round. Newton scored 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including a pair of threes and three free throws, while adding five rebounds and three assists. However, the back-to-back national champion’s G League season came to an end this past Friday, as the Vipers fell to the Western Conference’s top seed, the South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers’ G League affiliate), 112–97 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Newton scored just 14 points (his lowest output since posting 10 points on February 1st) after shooting 3-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-9 from three and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Newton began the 2025–26 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, appearing in three games with the Timberwolves and 19 games with their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. He averaged an impressive 26.8 points per game in those 19 contests before signing a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets on January 3rd and continued his offensive surge with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The highlight of Newton’s season arguably came when he scored 30-plus points in four straight games from January 20th–26th, posting 32, 36, 34, and 30 points during that stretch. In total, Newton recorded 17 games with 30 or more points and two 40-plus point performances, including a career-high 43 points on March 24th against the Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate)
The El Paso, Texas native averaged 25.6 points per game across 35 regular-season contests—third-best in the NBA G League—and was named to the All-NBA G League First Team. However, this may not be the last time we see Newton on the court this season. He is back with the Houston Rockets and was listed in the box score of Houston’s most recent game, a 119–105 win at the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, but did not play due to a coach’s decision. As of Thursday morning, the Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers (50–29) share the same record, with both teams battling for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with three regular-season games remaining. Los Angeles currently owns the tiebreaker. The Denver Nuggets, the current third seed in the West, sit a game and a half ahead of both teams.
If a scenario arises where multiple teams clinch home-court advantage, it could create an opportunity for Newton to see action in one or more of the final regular-season games. The Rockets close the regular season at home with three straight matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
James Bouknight (G League)
Bouknight was the third and final former Husky to appear in the G League postseason, but his run was brief. His two-seeded Mexico City Capitanes (no NBA affiliate) were upset by the seventh-seeded Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers’ affiliate), 113–108, in the first round. The 2021 lottery pick did all he could, pouring in a game-high 35 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including six three-pointers, while also converting all six of his free throw attempts.
In a career-high 36 regular-season games, Bouknight averaged 19.4 points, his highest since his rookie campaign in 2021–2022, when he played just seven G League games. He also shot a career-best 48.2% from the field and knocked down a career-high 114 three-pointers, which ranked fourth best in the G League.
With Bouknight being on a team that has no NBA affiliate, his path back to the NBA is even more difficult as no other team decided to sign the sharpshooter to a two-way contract this season. Bouknight last appeared in an NBA game back on February 4th, 2024 with the Charlotte Hornets.
Jordan Hawkins
It has been a long and perhaps unfair season for Jordan Hawkins, who is in the third season of his four year rookie deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, but at least the month of April has been a bit more kind to the 2023 National Champion.
On April 3rd, Hawkins tied his season high with 14 points in 21 minutes, knocking down a season-best four three-pointers in a 117–113 loss at the Sacramento Kings. It marked his first double-digit scoring performance since December 2nd, when he had 10 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Two games later, the Pelicans guard broke out for a new season-high 25 points in a 156–137 win over the Utah Jazz. Hawkins shot 11-of-15 from the field, tying a career high, and went 3-of-5 from three while adding a season-high six rebounds and tying a season-high with three steals in 23 minutes. He is currently averaging 15.3 points per game and has gone 9-for-16 (56.2%) from three over his last three games.
Here are highlights from his 25-point outbrust against the Jazz:
Stephon Castle
Castle recorded his third consecutive double-double after finishing with 15 points and 11 assists against the Warriors in a 127–113 win on Wednesday, April 1st.
The performance matched the longest double-double streak of his career, as he also logged three straight earlier this season from November 7th through November 10th. The streak was snapped the very next night but he scored 20 points in a 118-99 win at the Clippers. In Castle’s most recent performance, he posted his fifth triple-double of the season after scoring 19 points with 10 rebounds and tied a season-high 13 assists in a 115-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Unfortunately, Castle did not play last night against Donovan Clingan and the Portland Trail Blazers due to a knee injury. Despite having four scheduled games between the Spurs and Trail Blazers this season, the two former Husky teammates only faced off against each other once. It came back on January 3rd when Castle scored 16 points with nine assists and DC scored a then career-high 24 points with 12 rebounds in the Trail Blazers 115-110 win in San Antonio.
Donovan Clingan
After scoring single digits in five out of six games from March 23rd-April 2nd, Clingan finally broke out of his slump by posting his 34th double-double of the season against the Denver Nuggets this past Monday. DC finished the night with 18 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 6-of-13 from the field including 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He also added two blocks in the Trail Blazers 137-132 loss.
In a Castle-less Spurs matchup on Wednesday night, Clingan notched his second straight and 35th double-double of the season. The Bristol Central grad scored 11 points with 11 rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also contributed five assists and two blocks in 28 minutes as the Spurs defeated the Trail Blazers, 112–101.
It’s the second time this season that Clingan has made three triples in back-to-back games as the rising superstar is 6-for his last 11 from behind the arc over his last two games.
Cam Spencer
Spencer has been in and out of the Memphis Grizzlies lineup for the better part of a month. On Wednesday, April 1st, he recorded 10 points and eight assists in a 130–119 loss to the New York Knicks. The 2024 second-round pick then missed the next two games due to back soreness, an issue that has sidelined him multiple times recently, before returning to the lineup this past Monday where he finished with nine points and nine assists in a 142–126 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Spencer did not play in the Grizzlies 136-119 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, due to back pain.
Hopefully Spencer will be available for the Grizzlies’ final two games of the season. They will be road for each contest, first at the Utah Jazz on Friday and then at the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Memphis (25–55) has been eliminated from playoff contention for quite some time now.
Andre Jackson Jr.
Jackson Jr.’s minutes have fluctuated over the last ten days, as he logged 5, 23, 10, then a DNP (coach’s decision), followed by 15 and just 6 minutes last night. In his 23-minute outing, he did a lot of “Andre things,” finishing with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists in a 119–113 loss by the Milwaukee Bucks to the Houston Rockets.
Two days later, he scored seven points in just 10 minutes in another Bucks defeat, this time a 133–101 loss to the Boston Celtics. Last night, the 2023 national champion had four points and two rebounds in only six minutes of action during the Bucks’ 137–111 loss to the Detroit Pistons, who clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the upcoming postseason last week.
Tage Thompson
This past Saturday, Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres clinched their first playoff berth since 2011, ending the NHL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons. The New York Jets now stand alone with the longest active playoff drought in North American sports, having missed the postseason in 15 consecutive seasons.
The Sabres have gone through five different general managers and seven different head coaches since their last playoff appearance. However, one of the organization’s best decisions was trading for Tage Thompson from the St. Louis Blues in 2018, before the former Husky developed into a star. This season, Thompson leads Buffalo in goals (38) and points (72) and ranks second on the team with assists (40). The Sabres are currently in second in place in the Eastern Conference with 104 points, two behind the East leading…. Carolina Hurricanes.
Nika Muhl
On March 31st, the Seattle Storm announced that Nika Muhl will miss her second consecutive WNBA season after undergoing successful surgery to repair a right ACL tear. Muhl, who previously tore her left ACL in October 2024, causing her to miss the entire 2025 season, suffered the injury while representing Croatia during the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Qualifiers.
A few days later, Muhl was selected by the Portland Fire in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft. Fire General Manager Vaja Cernivec described it as a “personal pick.” She later emphasized that the Fire will have the league’s best “performance and health medical team” said they are confident they can help bring Muhl “back to life” and “return her to professional basketball because she deserves it.” The Fire also have former UConn three-time national champion Ashley Battle in their front office as the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations, Strategy & Innovation.
Muhl, who was selected by Seattle with the 14th pick in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft, appeared in just 16 out of a possible 89 games over two seasons with the Storm.
Follow @HuskyPros/X for all the latest updates on your favorite Huskies in the Pros!
