Malik Newman Declares for the Draft

(March 30, 2018 - Source: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Kansas Sophomore Malik Newman’s college career came to an end in San Antonio after the Jayhawks fell to Villanova 95-79. The Jackson, Mississippi product waited until after the National Championship to announce, but everyone knew where he was headed.

Newman officially declared for the draft through a video posted online by the KU basketball.


“First off, I’d like to thank god for the opportunity,” Newman said. “Also, I’d like to thank the coaching staff, my teammates, my family and the great fans of Kansas.”

In his lone season at Kansas, Newman was the catalyst for the Jayhawks who made it all the way to the Final Four. Newman averaged 14 points and five rebounds, while shooting 41-percent from deep.

Newman scored in double figures in all five games for Kansas during their tournament run, including a 32-point performance to upend Duke in overtime. During that game, Newman took over down the stretch scoring all 13 of the Jayhawks points in overtime to advance the, to their first Final Four since 2012.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity that you guys gave me over these last two years,” he later said in the video posted by Kansas. “I’m just proud to say that I was a Jayhawk.”

Newman originally stayed in state at Mississippi State out of high school. He was a five-star rated prospect and Rivals ranked him No. 8 in the class of 2015. Many touted him to be a one-and-done type of player but its clear to see that the extra time in school helped him hone his skills and truly develop his game.

Without Newman, Kansas doesn’t return a single starting guard from last years Final Four team but with the Lawson brothers and another top five recruiting class, Kansas will reload.

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