Malik Newman finally lived up to his recruiting hype to put Kansas in the Final Four

There was a time when Malik Newman was considered the best high school guard in the country. The class of 2015 rankings had Newman as a top-10 overall player. No guard was ranked above him in the RSCI. Newman had won four state titles in Mississippi at Callaway High School and looked primed to be the next big thing in college hoops.

It didn’t happen during his freshman year at Mississippi State. Two years and one transfer later, Newman finally fulfilled his immense potential to lift Kansas past Duke and put the Jayhawks in the Final Four.

As the game headed to overtime, Newman took over. He scored 13 of Kansas’ points to ice the game. Duke’s defense had no answer.

Newman finished with a game-high 32 points, hitting 8-of-19 shots from the field, 5-of-12 three-point attempts and 11-of-12 shots from the foul line. This is the type of player Newman was always supposed to be.

Newman committed to Mississippi State in part because his father was an All-SEC forward for the Bulldogs in the ‘90s. He was considered a potential one-and-done as a high scoring guard who could shoot from deep and create his own offense off the dribble.

It didn’t work out. Newman wasn’t a perfect fit with head coach Ben Howland and only finished fourth on his own team in scoring. The Bulldogs went 14-17 and Newman made the decision to sit a year to potentially play three for Kansas.

Shooting is Newman’s biggest strength, but his also a shifty guard who can score in transition and off the bounce. He was Kansas’ third leading scorer this season at 13.5 points per game, but showed off his immense raw talent during KU’s four-game tournament run.

Newman dropped 28 on Seton Hall in the second round and 17 points (with four threes) on Clemson in the Sweet 16. His 32 points vs. Duke is a career high.

It couldn’t have come at a better time.