Top 3 players back-to-back national champions UConn lost heading into 2024-25 season

Under the guidance of Dan Hurley, UConn has now won the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive years, beating Purdue in the title game this year and San Diego St. in 2023. After the tournament comes the summer transfer season, wherein various programs lose players to the transfer portal or the NBA draft.

Any program, regardless of its success, cannot avoid players leaving and the need to rebuild their roster for the next season. Similarly, Adama Sonogo and Jordan Hawkins led UConn to the 2023 NCAA title. However, the program lost both players before entering the 2023-24 season and had to sign new scorers like Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle, who led the team to another NCAA title.

This season, UConn has lost a few key players to the NBA draft. Let's look at the top three players to leave the program.

Top 3 players lost by UConn heading into 2024-25 season

#3, Stephon Castle

A five-star recruit from the class of 2023, Stephon Castle has declared for the NBA draft. He played only one season of collegiate basketball, becoming the second one-and-done player in the history of the program.

Castle stepped up whenever required to score important points for UConn. In the 2023-24 season, 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 42.7% from the field.

#2, Donovan Clingan

Donovan Clingan, a 7-foot-2 towering presence on the court, is solid in defense and upfront. He averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.5 rebounds per game in the 2023-24 season. He went 63.9% from the field and secured 2.5 blocks, and 4.9 defensive rebounds per game. Clingan declared for the 2024 NBA draft and is projected to be a top-10 prospect.

#1, Tristen Newton

Purdue v Connecticut

Tristen Newton was a key player in the Huskies' victory in the title game against Purdue as he scored a team-high 20 points and secured 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Newton started his collegiate career with East Carolina and later transferred to UConn in the 2022-2023 season.

Newton was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player last season and averaged 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in the campaign. He was outstanding from the field as he secured 41.5% of his attempts and scored 32.1% of his three-pointer attempts.

Tristen Newton has declared for the 2024 NBA draft and won't be an easy one for Dan Hurley to replace. He is expected to be the No. 36 pick according to CBS Sports.