Going back to last winter, talk of Indiana guard Jakai Newton’s athleticism began to emerge.
While he wasn’t playing full contact five-on-five, Newton was working out and participating in some team activities behind the scenes. And his speed and athleticism was catching the attention of the staff.
The 6-foot-3 and 210-pound Georgia product is the mystery man of this 2024-25 IU basketball team. After a 2022 injury and a series of setbacks, Newton hasn’t been on the court consistently for two and a half years.
But those rumblings we heard over the winter? Just listen to the way head coach Mike Woodson is talking about Newton publicly now.
“He’s probably the most explosive athlete on our team in terms of playing above the rim,” IU coach Mike Woodson said on Thursday. “It’s scary how good he is in that regard.”
That’s better news than it even appears for Newton, who has always been known for his length and athleticism going back to his time at Newton H.S. (Covington, Ga.) and while playing for the Atlanta XPress on the UAA Circuit.
But after multiple knee procedures, it was reasonable to wonder whether Newton’s athleticism might never be the same.
For his part, Newton said a couple weeks ago he is 100 percent good to go for this season. And while the signs are promising he can return to form, IU is still taking a cautious approach with the redshirt freshman.
“He’s doing fine. He can’t go everyday because we won’t allow him to go everyday,” Woodson said. “We basically are slow-walking him back. But the days he’s been out there, he’s been pretty impressive. But we just gotta get him back fully healthy, and he’s not there yet.”
Newton says he was grateful to be able to walk on the court this summer and play full contact five-on-five. But still, it has been difficult to mentally get past his more than two-year struggle.
“Until I play that first game, it will probably be on my mind a little bit,” he said.
After redshirting a season ago, Newton still has four full years of eligibility remaining. So even if this year ends up being one where he continues to be brought back slowly, he’ll still have plenty of time for a productive college career.
But with IU focused on playing a faster more aggressive guard-oriented style, it is tantalizing to at least think about the added dimension Newton could bring this year if, as Woodson says, he’s the most explosive athlete on the team.
In any event, the trajectory continues to be promising.
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