STARKVILLE — The most celebrated high school basketball player in Mississippi history became the most scrutinized college player in state history at approximately 7:15 p.m. Monday.
By both definitions of the word, his debut was titanic: It was big. It was bad.
Malik Newman, Mississippi State’s prized freshman point guard from Jackson, entered the Bulldogs’ game against Southern University with 14:47 left in the first half. He played the next four minutes, scored one point by hitting one of two free throws, missed two shots from the field and had two turnovers.
It didn’t get much better the rest of the night.
In the post-game news conference, Newman sat at a table flanked by teammates Craig Sword and Travis Daniels, handling a sheet of paper that contained the box score like it was hot — picking it up and quickly laying it down, then leaning over the paper as it lay on the table to examine the grim story it told.
In 17 minutes, the player named as one of the 10 best players in the Southeastern Conference before he had ever played a college game, a player projected as one of the top players to be selected in the NBA in June after what is universally accepted to be a single season of college basketball, finished with 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and a 1-of-6 effort from the free throw line, four turnovers and three assists.
With 44.5 seconds left and MSU trailing, 76-74, Newman was fouled on a drive to the basket and stood at the free-throw line with two free throws to tie the game. These are the moments of which legends are made, instances in which stars drive daggers into the hearts of their mortal foes.
Newman cooly stepped to the line…and missed both free throws.
Southern scored the game’s final basket and emerged with a 76-72 victory, rendering a stinging blow to a program which had hoped to quickly turn the page from a three-year nightmare of losing seasons but now finds itself 1-1 and still searching for answers.
Yet for all the unanswered questions — and there are many — Newman is not on the list.
“We all know he’s going to be a great player,” said one observer, who happened to be the opposing coach Monday, Southern’s Roman Banks.
For his part, MSU coach Ben Howland said Newman’s performance shouldn’t be viewed as a cause for concern. The player the 5,895 fans at Humphrey Coliseum saw Monday is not the player they will see going forward.
Newman suffered a turf toe injury and missed the last three weeks of practice, the Bulldogs’ scrimmage against Alabama-Birmingham and their season-opener Saturday against Eastern Washington. He returned to practice for the first time since the injury Sunday and was playing Monday night.
It showed.
“You can’t have timing as a basketball player if you haven’t been out there, five-on-five, practicing,” Howland said. “It’s understandable. His foul shooting: This guy is probably a 90 percent foul shooter for his lifetime and he’s 1-for-6 tonight.
“So, you know, I’m sure he’s disappointed — number one, that we lost and, number two, how he played.”
Newman’s demeanor after the game showed no signs of lost confidence.
“Oh, not at all,” he said. “I think it was just a bad night for me. I’ve been out for three weeks, so I didn’t really expect to come out here and be myself. I’m still trying to work myself in to it. I think I’ll be fine. No, I know I’ll be fine. I know what I am capable of. My teammates know what I’m capable of.”
Howland is equally certain.
“He’s a great competitor and a tough kid and we need him,” he said.
MSU has problems, all right.
But Malik Newman ain’t one of them.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected]
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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