STARKVILLE – It did not take Ben Howland long to make Mississippi State basketball’s biggest recruiting splash in years.
When he was hired to take over MSU’s men’s program as its next coach on March 21, Howland vowed that his team would go after and land the biggest and best prospects in the South in an effort to return the Bulldogs to prominence.
If reports that surfaced on Wednesday prove true, Howland is now 1-for-1 in that regard. Late Wednesday afternoon, CBS Sports basketball writer Gary Parrish reported that 5-star prospect Malik Newman, the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in the country according to all three major recruiting services, plans to commit to the Bulldogs on Friday afternoon.
The report came hours after it was announced that Newman would make his college choice public during a closed ceremony at noon on Friday.
Newman, who averaged 29.7 points per game as a senior and led Jackson Callaway High to four consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state championships, has whittled his college choices down to five in recent weeks, a group that includes MSU, Ole Miss, LSU, Kansas and Kentucky.
If he chooses MSU and signs, he’d be MSU’s highest-rated signee since Monta Ellis in 2005. Ellis, also a guard from Jackson, instead opted for the NBA Draft and never played a minute in Starkville. Newman, however, will play wherever he signs due to the NBA’s rule that dictates no player can enter the league until one year after his high school class graduates.
Word of Newman’s pending decision spread quickly Wednesday, with outside observers impressed with Howland’s ability to land the state’s best prospect in more than a decade.
“Ben Howland brings instant credibility,” said Eric Bossi, National Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. “He can walk into a living room and talk to players, show them his long list of players that he’s put in the league. And good players, too. Recruits respond to that.”
Throughout his 18 years as a head coach, Howland has produced 21 eventual NBA players, including 18 at UCLA, where he took the Bruins to three straight Final Four appearances from 2006 until 2008. That includes MVP candidate Russell Westbrook and all-stars like Cleveland Cavs forward Kevin Love.
With Newman, though, there are more ties than just Howland’s ability to recruit. Newman’s father, Horatio Webster, led MSU in scoring for two seasons during a standout career in Starkville from 1996 until 1998, and Webster has been an integral part of Newman’s recruitment.
As of late Wednesday night, neither Newman nor Webster had confirmed plans to commit to MSU, but the Friday ceremony will proceed as planned. Howland, who inherits four starters from a 13-19 team, was in Jackson for an official visit with Newman and his family Wednesday night.
Building block
So what would MSU be getting if it can close the deal and secure Newman’s signature? A naturally gifted scorer, and a player mature beyond his years on the court.
“He’s a scorer, just a flat-out scorer,” said Bossi of Newman. “He can shoot it, he’s intelligent with the basketball. And he really understands how to score, which I think sometimes gets lost. His best move is probably his pull-up jumper, where he dribbles straight at defenders and gets them on their heels, then rises up and scores. You can’t really defend that.”
Newman can indeed score. Before going off for nearly 30 points per game as a senior, he averaged 25.4 points per game from his freshman season until his junior campaign, and by doing so, burst onto the national scene as one of the most highly sought after players in the country.
He has played internationally, competing as part of USA Basketball’s Junior National Team on multiple occasions, and he was named a McDonald’s All-American last month.
“He has competed at a very high level for a long time,” said Bossi. “He’s won state championships, and he’s won world championships. He is not going to be intimidated by playing college ball.”
The potential to land Newman would be a watershed moment for Howland as he tries to resurrect an MSU program that won 37 games in three seasons under former coach Rick Ray. But it was Ray, who first contacted Newman three years ago, who laid the groundwork in Newman’s MSU recruitment. Also key was assistant coach George Brooks, listed by 247sports.com as Newman’s lead recruiter. Brooks was retained by Howland from Ray’s staff.
As a Bulldog, Newman likely projects to the point guard position, where he would team with shooting guard Craig Sword, MSU’s leading returning scorer. Also returning for MSU are forwards Fred Thomas, Travis Daniels and Gavin Ware, along with incumbent point guard I.J. Ready.
According to those outside the program, the possible landing of Newman could prove momentous for MSU going forward.
“It’s huge,” said Bossi. “That’s a guy with ties to the program, in MSU’s backyard, and it’s proof that Ben Howland can walk into a recruit’s living room and show them a portfolio of players that’s really hard to beat. This is a big deal for Ben Howland.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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