The Clemson basketball team(22-8, 11-7) ended the regular season with a 55-52 loss to Syracuse but shouldn’t hang their heads, because they exceeded expectations with 11 conference wins and a final regular season ranking of 18. Can the Tigers get back to winning on Thursday and will the winning continue next season?
As the Tigers prepare for Thursday’s ACC Tournament game and a subsequent bid to the NCAA Big Dance, commit John Newman III continues to celebrate a NCISAA 3A state championship win over Wesley Christian Academy. Next season, he will join Hunter Tyson, Piedmont High(NC), and center Trey Jemison, Hoover High(AL) at Clemson with hopes of getting coach Brad Brownell back-to-back successful seasons.
Newman was coached by Freddy Johnson, the winningest coach in North Carolina high school basketball history, and now a 10-time state champion, at Greensboro Day School(27-7). So he is used to winning and a winning atmosphere. But in the Feb. 24 championship game, Greensboro Day was the underdog and a win seemed highly improbable for Newman, and his Bengals teammates.
Imagine trying to win a state championship without a key player and your opponent handled you twice(66-52 and 57-41) before and oh yeah, by the way, that opponent has Division I signees Jaylen Hoard(Wake Forest), Aaron Wiggins(Maryland) and junior prospects Shawn Walker Jr. and twins Keyshaun and Kobe Langley on the roster.
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That was just the situation Newman, a McDonalds All-American nominee, and his teammates were facing in the matchup with Wesley Christian Academy. But even without senior guard Will Dillard, a Georgia Southern signee, who was sidelined on Jan. 19 because of a blood clot in his right lung, they beat Wesley 67-53, and Newman led the way with 24 points and was named the Most Valuable Player.
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The 6-foot-5 guard led the team to a second consecutive state championship and a third championship in four years, a Greensboro Day School class record that he shares with Dillard and guard Alex Michael. So Clemson basketball is getting a player used to winning and it’s part of his DNA.
“Number one, he’s a winner and that means the most to him,” said Johnson when asked about his three-time state championship winner.
When I watch footage of Newman, I see a player who doesn’t command the ball and scores within the flow of the offense. The left hander has good touch on midrange and three-point jump shots, and he can finish drives to the basket while absorbing contact. On the defensive side, he plays with enthusiasm and doesn’t back down from anyone which explains why one of his offers came from top ranked Virginia. Newman is also an energetic guy like current Clemson forward Aamir Simms and should be a crowd favorite throughout his career.
Will he see the court next season?
He needs to add weight to his 180-pound frame and continue to work on his ballhandling but with rising seniors Shelton Mitchell and second team All-ACC Marcquise Reed likely returning to start in the backcourt and David Skara at small forward, Newman won’t be expected to log major minutes anyway. However, I do expect him to play because of his defense and his ability to finish on the break. Whether he is on the court or on the bench, Johnson knows what kind of player the Tigers are getting, “He’s very unselfish and a total team player.”
Newman, the son of John Newman Jr., a former James Madison(1983-87) forward, led Greensboro Day in scoring(over 16 ppg) and will play in the Triad All-Star Classic on March 16-17.
Clemson basketball 2018 commits profiles:
Hunter Tyson, Piedmont High(NC)
Next up: Hoover(AL) 6-foot-11 center Trey Jemison.