Mississippi State lands commitment from elite prospect Malik Newman
Six months before he coaches his first game at Mississippi State, Ben Howland has already achieved a meaningful victory.
The first-year coach landed a commitment Friday from elite scoring guard Malik Newman, Rivals.com’s No. 8 prospect in the class of 2015. The son of former Mississippi State forward Horatio Webster chose the Bulldogs over a long list of more high-profile programs including Kentucky, Kansas, LSU and North Carolina State.
That Howland was able to land Newman is especially impressive considering he took over at Mississippi State less than a month ago. The hire forced Newland to more strongly consider staying home as a result of Howland’s history of success at UCLA and Pittsburgh and his track record of producing successful NBA players like Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo.
The arrival of Newman gives Howland a real chance to contend for a postseason bid in his debut season in Starkville. Mississippi State returns five of its top six scorers from a 13-19 team that lost nine games by six or fewer points under former coach Rick Ray.
Newman and senior Craig Sword will form one of the SEC’s better backcourt duos. Newman is renowned for his ability to create space for himself and score in bunches and Sword led the Bulldogs in scoring both of the past two seasons. Veterans Fred Thomas and I.J. Ready and Rivals 150 guard Quinndary Weatherspoon should also contribute on the perimeter.
Gavin Ware, Mississippi State’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder last season, should anchor the frontcourt. The 6-foot-9 rising senior will also be joined by incoming power forward Joe Strugg and rising sophomore Demetrius Houston.
While Newman isn’t likely to stay at Mississippi State for more than one season, his presence for even just next year will help the Bulldogs.
It’s a credibility boost for the program and an opportunity for the Bulldogs to enjoy success in Howland’s first season, which should only help him recruit for the all-important class of 2016.
Rivals.com video of Malik Newman:
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
