McDs spotlight: Malik Newman
CHICAGO -- The nation's No. 3 player in the class of 2015 Malik Newman has wasted little time backing up his status as the country's premier combo guard at the McDonald's All-American game practices.
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A four-time state champion from Jackson (Miss.) Callaway, Newman has played both on and off the ball during practice and has done well in each role. He's drained deep jumpers, delivered crisp passes and showed elite versatility.
On the recruiting front, one of his finalists, Mississippi State, recently hired a new coach in Ben Howland. The 6-foot-4 senior met with the new Bulldogs coach before arriving in Chicago for McDonald's week.
"He just came and told me the players that he has put in the NBA and his vision for Mississippi State and his vision for me and how he plans on turning the program around," Newman said.
Were Newman to choose to play in Starkville, he would have the chance to follow in the footsteps of his father Horatio Webster, who played there during the 90's. Though it is an appealing idea on some levels, Newman feels no pressure to do so.
"It's not that big to me and I'm pretty sure it's that big to him," said Newman."It would be a great thing to follow in his legacy and all the things he did at Mississippi State in his two years there. It would be something big if I went there, but if I don't I don't think he will be mad."
One team that has been quietly picking up steam behind the scenes is LSU. Newman was in Baton Rouge for a game during the season and the Tigers' staff and its recruiting class of Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney -- who are both in the McDonald's game with Newman -- has been in his ear selling the opportunity for three young players to make some noise before moving on to the next level.
"They talk to me a lot about it," said Newman of LSU, Simmons and Blakeney. "Right now, the biggest thing they tell me they are missing is a point guard and that is what they are recruiting me as. Ben and Antonio are doing a great job of recruiting me also.
"They are telling me that they will give me the keys, let us do our thing so all of us can get in and out."
For a while, Newman has maintained that he at least wants to visit Kansas and Kentucky officially before making a decision. However, he's been unable to set any dates because his schedule has been so full and he's looking at a busy April playing for USA Basketball and in the Jordan Brand Classic on the weekends following the McDonald's game.
Newman would like to try and make a decision, but pinning him down on exactly when isn't easy. In the same interview, Newman said that it could be into May before he decides, but he also said he would like to get it out of the way as soon as possible.
"I think it's coming up," said Newman. "The whole time I was saying I was going to wait after the season. Now that the season is over it feels like time is flying. It is going to be sometime soon."
"I think it will be many factors. Whose staying and whose leaving? The players that will be around and the coaching staff and their history."
Finally, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not Newman prefers to be recruited as a point guard or a shooting guard. As he's maintained most of his recruitment, it doesn't really matter as long as he can find a spot on the floor to help.
"It just depends on the players around me the position that I'm going to play," said Newman "The biggest thing is just winning. If I'm best suited for the team to play the one, then I should play the one, if it's best for me at the two then I should do that."
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