He's been compared to Monta Ellis, Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose.
Malik Newman, Callaway
Photo by Jim Redman
But
Malik Newman is his own person and player. The 6-foot-4 senior guard is the nation's No. 4 senior recruit, according to
247Sports.
And best of all, he's a McDonald's All-American. I can wait to watch the prolific shooting off guard who averaged a remarkable 26.1 points per game in his 119-game prep career.
2015 McDonald's All-American Game boys rosterIn his just completed senior year for
Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), he averaged 29.7 points. 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
After his freshman season, we met Newman at an AAU event.
He told us that on his bedroom walls weren't posters of Kevin Durant or LeBron James, but rather a list of 12 players who were listed by recruiting services as his competition for best in class.
"Frankly, my goal is to always be better than them," he said then.
2015 McDonald's All-American Game girls roster
Callaway head coach Wayne Brent, who has coached some very good ones at the Mississippi power, told MaxPreps editor Jason Hickman that Newman's mind and competitive edge is what largely sets him apart.
"He's just one of those rare kids that comes along every 10 years or so," Brent said. "He can really score it and handles the ball well. He's a scoring point-combo guard. His work ethic is really, really, really good. He's in the gym at 5 a.m. every morning. It's unbelievable."
The 38th-annual McDonald's All-American Game for the boys and the 14th annual game for the girls takes place April 1 at the United Center in Chicago. Host Chris Stonebraker and senior writer Mitch Stephens will be on hand in the Windy City to bring you all the action, fun and inside scoop.
