Newman finds hope through recent shooting struggles
STARKVILLE — Malik Newman became a legend in Mississippi during this time of the year. At Callaway High School in Jackson, the McDonald’s All-American won four-straight state championships.
At Mississippi State, he starts on a team that’s lost three of four, owns a 3-9 record with the Southeastern Conference and on the verge of a fourth-straight season without postseason play.
“It’s very different taking loss after loss,” Newman said. “It’s hard because I know that I’m going out and giving all that I have. I know the team’s going out and giving all that they have. For us to keep coming up short, it’s tough.”
Mississippi State displayed one of its worst performances of the season in its last loss. The Bulldogs scored a season-low against Georgia in a 66-57 loss on Saturday. MSU trailed by as many as 22 in the second half.
Newman finished in single digits for the third time in four games. His next opportunity to burst out of the slump comes Tuesday against Vanderbilt(15-10, 7-5) at 8 p.m. (SEC Network).
“I think I’ve become more of a focal point than I was at first,” Newman said. “That’s just making sure I’m contained and not getting any open looks and things like that.”
Newman attracted the attention rated as one of the best shooting guards in the country. He flashed that talent during a four-game stretch within conference play beginning on Jan. 19.
He closed the month shooting 47 percent and 60 percent beyond the arc. The numbers led to the freshman averaging 17.7 points per game during the stretch.
In the next four games though, Newman is shooting 31 percent from the field and 15 percent from beyond the arc.
“He has to get more shots, more looks, more touches,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “…We need him to score. We did not do a good enough job of finding him in the zone in particular which that’s where he has a lot of success.”
Georgia’s zone forced Mississippi State (10-14, 3-9) into 28 shots from deep. Newman and Craig Sword shot the best percentage making 2 of 5.
MSU will likely see more zone against Vanderbilt. The Commodores are the only SEC team holding opponents to less than 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc at 27.6 percent. Despite his recent struggles, Newman is still MSU’s best option from deep. He leads the team shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range.
“This is a freshman year. It’s all new,” Howland said. “It’s all a new experience for them. They’re growing as kids. I think all three (MSU freshmen) have grown as players and improved.”
In MSU’s best game of the season, a 78-46 win against Arkansas last week, Newman scored six points on eight shots. He's still recovering from a hyper-extended knee he suffered a couple weeks ago.
Howland said the 6-foot-3 guard didn’t stay in his shot against Razorbacks.
“I’m begging him to keep his hand up,” Howland said. “Stay into your shot. I thought he did a better job of that in the last game. That’s something he’s focused on. It’s gotta be a consistent thing all the time for him.”
Six regular season games remain in his freshman season. Newman's scored 13 points in his last two outings.
The recent slump hasn’t deterred from his confidence or his determination to win.
“I just know that there’s still hope,” Newman said. “There’s still light at the end of the tunnel. Once the SEC Tournament starts that’s when things will be back serious for us, but right now we’re still looking at it as we’re still trying to get a higher seed.”
Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.