*Former Belleville East Player looking to score with the Mavericks
As the National Basketball Association moves through its preseason games, we have the potential of having a remarkable success story, involving a young man from the metro area.
Jared Newson, a 2002 graduate of Belleville East, is currently playing with the Dallas Mavericks during the preseason. An athletic 6’5” 210-pound guard, Newson is fighting to earn a spot on the Mavericks opening day roster.
Who is Jared Newson? Do not be too alarmed if you are not familiar with the name. When he was in high school, Newson’s name didn’t register much of a blip on the metro area basketball scene. He was blessed with a lot of athletic ability, but his game was far from being developed at the time. Now, just five years later, this young man is battling for a spot on one of the NBA’s top teams. A team that won 67 games during the regular season last year.
The fact that Newson has already made it this far in his dream to play in the NBA makes this a great success story. If he indeed suits up for the Mavericks when they open their regular season, this story moves into the realm of fantasy.
Back in 2002, the big name seniors in high school basketball Jimmy McKinney and Nicholas Kern of Vashon, Dan Oppland of Whitfield and Troy Slaten of Rockwood Marquette. Meanwhile, Newsome was a part-time starter and role player at best for Belleville East during his senior year.
While many of his contemporaries matriculated to major colleges, Newson signed with Forest Park Community College without much fanfare. He enjoyed his first taste of real success at The Park under the guidance of head coach Preston Thomas.
After one year of junior college ball, Newson signed with the University of Tennessee-Martin, which was one of the bottom feeders of the Ohio Valley Conference. Newson got the chance to play major minutes at UT-Martin and he took advantage of the opportunity to blossom into a prime-time collegiate player.
Newson enjoyed three excellent seasons at UT-Martin as he earned All-OVC First Team honors in 2006. Newsom entered college as a dynamic athlete, but he developed his all-around game and became a force who could score, rebound, handle the ball and play defense. As Newson continued to improve in college, he also started to show up on the NBA’s radar.
“Jared has continued to work hard and he made the most of his opportunity,” said Thomas, who still talks to Thomas regularly and works him out during the off-season. “Having talent is one thing, but Jared now has the knowledge and willingness to let his talents grow.”
Newson attended a couple of tryout camps after his graduation and played well enough to be invited to play with the summer league entries of the Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies. He wound up playing his first year of professional basketball for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, where he averaged 13.3 points and 5.5 rebounds as a rookie.
Newson played for the Mavericks again over the summer. He appeared ready to head back overseas for another season, but the Mavericks called and signed him to a one-year contract last month.
“I cannot be happier for Jared,” Thomas said. “He’s a great athlete, he got his degree and he’s a good person. What more could you ask for?”
How about a few tickets to the Mavs’ games.
*College Commitments: Former Fort Zumwalt West basketball standout Jared Swopshire has given a verbal commitment to attend the University of Louisville. The 6’7” Swopshire is entering his second year at IMG Academy in Florida after playing his first two years in St. Charles County….Saint Louis University women’s basketball coach Shimmy Gray-Miller got a commitment from point guard Janisha Gearlds from Bolinbrook (Ill.) High. The 5’6’ Gearlds was the starting point guard for Bolinbrook, which won the IHSA Class AA state championship in 2006 and finished as the state runner-up in 2007. Both players can sign national letters of intent, beginning on Nov. 15.
