BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball guard Jakai Newton’s status going into the start of the 2024-25 season remains a bit muddled.
While Newton declared himself “good to go” at the team’s media day Wednesday from the knee injury that’s sidelined him for two years — ”I’m 100” — his coach Mike Woodson wasn’t so optimistic.
Newton is back with the team practicing, but Woodson detailed a series of recent setbacks for the guard.
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“He still hasn’t fully recovered,” Woodson said. “He’s had some good days, but we can’t consistently keep him in practice and on the basketball floor yet. It’s been frustrating for him, but we just got to keep working through it, that’s all I can tell him.
“Medical people are telling him the same thing, you just got to keep working where you can constantly stay on the floor and play basketball. That’s kind of been his hang up right now.”
Newton resumed basketball activities over the summer for the first time in two years.
He’s working his way back from a knee injury that dates back to his senior year at Newton High School in Georgia. He’s undergone multiple surgical procedures, the most recent of which forced him to redshirt during the 2023-24 season.
“I’m grateful,” Newton said. “It’s been a long journey.”
Newton was the No. 118 nationally ranked prospect in the 2023 signing class. The four-star prospect had 10 scholarship offers, including ones from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Georgia.
He was a constant presence on the bench as a freshman, but his training sessions mostly consisted of just that — watching practice and film. He said the mental aspect of his recovery from that long layoff was just as difficult as the physical part.
“Not playing for so long, it’s hard to just snap back into it and be all the way mentally there,” Newton said. “I’ve dealt with a couple struggles with being out for so long.”
When he asked what he missed most, all he could do was chuckle.
“S***, everything,” Newton said.
He credited the team’s director of athletic performance Clif Marshall for helping him through some of the road blocks along the way. Newton also said that each of his teammates have worked to pick him up.
Newton remains optimistic that he’ll be able to show IU fans what he’s capable of in the not so distant future.
“I feel like there isn’t any limits to my game,” Newton said. “I can do things on both sides of the ball.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
