(2019) SG Brandon Newman to Purdue

[WayneFleekHoosier]

Purdue offered yesterday.  

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

5 hours ago, RatpigHoosier said:

Anybody that has seen him play that can comment on his ballhandling or driving the lane skills?  This video only has him shooting inside the 3-line once. 

Good question.  I haven't seen him play so all I can do is draw some inferences from his AAU season.  He's taken a total of 206 shots from the field 134 or 65% were 3's of which he he's hit 40%.  That leaves 72 shots he's taken from inside the line and hit 32 or 44%.   No way to know if those 72 were with 1 foot inside the line or drives to the basket so you have to take it for what it's worth.  As for a spllt between 3's and non-3's, in this era and as a shooting guard I'm guessing (emphasize guessing) his split is pretty much average.  Personally, if he can consistently hit 40%, bombs away!

[RaceToTheTop]

On 5/31/2018 at 7:44 AM, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Good question.  I haven't seen him play so all I can do is draw some inferences from his AAU season.  He's taken a total of 206 shots from the field 134 or 65% were 3's of which he he's hit 40%.  That leaves 72 shots he's taken from inside the line and hit 32 or 44%.   No way to know if those 72 were with 1 foot inside the line or drives to the basket so you have to take it for what it's worth.  As for a spllt between 3's and non-3's, in this era and as a shooting guard I'm guessing (emphasize guessing) his split is pretty much average.  Personally, if he can consistently hit 40%, bombs away!

During his junior year at Valpo HS, he took 412 shots from the floor but only 30 % (123) were from three.  He shot 43% from three and 55% from inside the arc.  I’ve seen him play multiple times and honestly, he’s a scorer who learned how to shoot and not vice versatile.  I used the Greg Graham comparison earlier and it’s a really accurate one IMO.....Graham was a scorer first then s shooter but by his senior year at IU had developed into a really good shooter.

[HoosierHoops1]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-ptb-spt-boys-basketball-valparaiso-brandon-newman-st-0602-story.html

Valparaiso's Brandon Newman weighing prep school options while getting ready to play for Indiana Junior All-Stars

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Tom Davis of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel - Valpo guard Brandon Newman is proving to be a rising (and shooting) star on the recruiting circuit

NEW ALBANY – Fifth-year Fort Wayne men’s basketball coach Jon Coffman is known for several things. He is a high-energy, always-be-positive coach whose teams emphasize offensive freedom and flow to a successful degree.  But when it comes to recruiting, Coffman is known amongst prospects as a guy that disperses scholarship offers as if they were gold. That is because to him, they are.  “I want an offer to really mean something to a player,” Coffman has told News-Sentinel.com in the past. “I want it to be special.”

The Mastodons will be listed on scouting services as having interest in a number of athletes but in terms of offers, very rarely will they be mentioned in abundance. However, when Coffman saw then-Valparaiso High School sophomore guard Brandon Newman play in the spring of 2017 he was all in on the athlete and offered Newman an opportunity to join his program early last summer.

Fort Wayne was the first Division I program to offer Newman but they weren’t the last.  “It’s just one of those things where he has been on people’s radar and they have just wanted to see him progress and see him play,” Valparaiso coach Barak Coolman told News-Sentinel.com recently. “He has shown that because he is so smart and kind of finds his way to score and play the right way he has just continued to prove himself.”

Following Fort Wayne’s offer, other mid-majors such as hometown Valpo, Ball State and Toledo all jumped on board with the 6-foot-4 athlete but with seemingly each passing performance more (and higher) offers are coming his way.  Purdue recently offered Newman, as has DePaul, Florida State, Xavier, and Kansas State.  “He’s had a lot of interest and a lot of (schools) just wanted to see him play this spring,” Coolman continued. “He’s continued to produce and obviously you can see what he is capable of doing. He’s going to be big time on the next level.”

He very well may be but he already is “big time” on THIS level.  Newman averaged 25 points and nine rebounds per game for the Vikings this past season in just 25 minutes of action each night.  For the first time in seven years, Valparaiso won its IHSAA Class 4A sectional before falling in overtime to Elkhart Memorial in the regional.  Newman has helped Coolman’s program win 41 games over the past two seasons.

“He is a tremendous shooter,” Coolman said of Newman. “He’s a great rebounder and does a little bit of everything. He defends, so he is a great and versatile player.”  Newman displayed that versatility in a recent game against the Indiana Senior All-Stars.  After battling the flu all day and making the nearly five-hour drive to New Albany, Newman opened the game very strong offensively but wore down – to a degree – as the game continued.  He finished having made 6 of 15 shots and scoring 18 points in 29 minutes.

“Brandon is very athletic and plays hard,” Coolman said following the game. “He’s got a good nose for the game and is very coachable.”  The Junior All-Star squad took a 56-49 lead into the second half against their older counterparts and Senior All-Star coach Jim Shannon put his best defender, 2018 Indiana Mr. Basketball Romeo Langford, on Newman in the second half in order to give his team a chance to rally.

Langford’s defense proved effective but not always.  At one juncture in the second half, Newman was isolated on Langford and he drove him to the rim and rose up and finished through the McDonald’s All-American.

“He has just continued to progress,” Coolman said of his star. “Brandon is just a great teammate and does a little bit of everything.”  Newman sank 53 3-pointers as a junior and that came at a 43 percent rate.  “Brandon has a soft jump shot,” Coolman said. “I call him a shot maker, not a shot taker.”

Prior to his time at Valparaiso, Coolman coached former Indiana All-Star guard Bryson Scott and his twin brother, Brenton, at Northrop High School in Fort Wayne.  Bryson just finished a very successful career under Coffman with the Mastodons, while Brenton had a spectacular career at Indiana State.  Coolman said that those two and Newman have some differences in their games but also some similarities.  “Brenton and Bryson were always kind of playing downhill,” Coolman explained. “Brandon is more of a surgeon, where he kind of lets things come to him and takes time to read. But all three of them are great scorers and Brandon is a really, really pure shooter.”

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Video from ITH.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Trevor Andershock‏ @INBBallSource

Brandon Newman (@ballislife_219) is taking an unofficial visit to Indiana Monday.

[Hoosier Guy]

45 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Trevor Andershock‏ @INBBallSource

Brandon Newman (@ballislife_219) is taking an unofficial visit to Indiana Monday.

I think he gets an offer tomorrow

[Hoosier Guy]

I’d be all for it. A tough nosed in-state player. And he’s #81 in the Rivals150. Sign me up

[Brass Cannon]

6 minutes ago, Iugradman said:

I think the staff waited too long here to get seriously involved.

Pretty sure they have been involved for awhile. Just no offer

[Stromboli]

Conflicting reports on Newman's interest in IU.  Some say he favors Purdue, some say he wants the IU offer.

 

This is a tough one.  With 6 guys in our '18 class, we don't need depth too bad, and so we have an option to swing hard.  I think most of us have been twitterpated by Carton and Lewis and TJD and Brooks and Stewart and Hurt, and we haven't paid a ton of attention to Armaan and Newman.  I think most other years, we'd be pining away for a commitment from a top 100 Indiana guard.  

 

Here's what I know:  When I saw him play at EYBL in April, he was more involved and a better player than Franklin.  He stood out as one of the weapons on the floor, a guy a coach would want.  It could have been an anomaly, but he really played well that weekend across all games.  I think he fits in the mold of a scoring guard.  Not the best ball handler, but good enough, and he's good at putting points on the board.  In the Indiana Jr/Sr game, he guarded Romeo fearlessly and some would say effectively.  Maybe even got under his skin a little bit if you read into Damezi's comments.  You have to love that.  Add a willing defender mindset to a guy that shoots at a high rate (both in usage and in percentage made) and he's someone you really want on the floor.  Finally, he's a riser.  Newman is just now gaining momentum.  It doesn't hurt that Purdue wants him.  Knocking them down a peg after the Gillis commit would be a nice offseason victory!  

 

Newman apparently did an unofficial on January 14, which was the Northwestern game.  Probably the best game we played all year, and supposedly the game when Romeo's interest in IU became very real.  

 

Uhh.  Still hard for me to call this one.  We need guards.  I want Indiana players.  I don't think his commitment will scare away a Carton or Lewis, but it won't entice a Hurt or Keion, either.  Or will it?  I don't know.

 

I'll put it this way, I'd be thrilled with his commitment.  

 

 

[Hoosier Guy]

Carton, Newman, Brooks and TJD. What a class that would be

[Uspshoosier]

No surprise. IU offered today


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[WayneFleekHoosier]

I’d be very happy with an All Indiana class of Newman, Franklin, Brooks, and TJD.

I love Carton, Hurt, Stewart, Watford but the ALL Indiana class would be plenty good.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[Chris007]

17 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

I’d be very happy with an All Indiana class of Newman, Franklin, Brooks, and TJD.

I love Carton, Hurt, Stewart, Watford but the ALL Indiana class would be plenty good.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

I think it is Newman or franklin first come first serve but not both. This is just my opinion but it has been hinted to me

[MemphisHoosier]

8 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I think it is Newman or franklin first come first serve but not both. This is just my opinion but it has been hinted to me

Interesting.  Chris, are you expecting a ~4 man class?  Potentially something like this...

1) TJD

2) Newman/Franklin...first come, first serve

3) Lead Ball Handler (Carton, Lewis, etc.)

4) Big Wing/Post (Watford, Hurt, Stewart, etc.)

[Chris007]

1 minute ago, MemphisHoosier said:

Interesting.  Chris, are you expecting a ~4 man class?  Potentially something like this...

1) TJD

2) Newman/Franklin...first come, first serve

3) Lead Ball Handler (Carton, Lewis, etc.)

4) Big Wing/Post (Watford, Hurt, Stewart, etc.)

Yes that is exactly how I would think it will work out or maybe just 3 of them.

[GloryDays]

I think it is Newman or franklin first come first serve but not both. This is just my opinion but it has been hinted to me

Hope Newman jumps first.
Just my opinion but seems to have more upside and I like his length.

[fwgreenway]

21 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Yes that is exactly how I would think it will work out or maybe just 3 of them.

Just curious if you think Brooks would be included (still an option) or if he is lost in the shuffle?

[Chris007]

1 hour ago, fwgreenway said:

Just curious if you think Brooks would be included (still an option) or if he is lost in the shuffle?

I'm not counting out anyone who has an offer. I think right now Brooks is at MSU, UK and us. I could see it going any of the three ways