Syracuse Basketball: Woody Newton selected “his dream school”

Syracuse basketball’s newest commit, Woody Newton, seems super excited about his college decision, which he revealed on his mom’s birthday.

Woody Newton, the inaugural recruit in the Syracuse basketball squad’s 2020 class, is an intriguing prospect with a bunch of promising talent and a personality that’s likable from the get-go.

The 6-foot-8 Newton, out of Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., which is about 15 miles from Washington, D.C., disclosed earlier this week that he will attend SU after receiving offers from a host of other crews, including Cincinnati, Kansas State, Maryland, Penn State, Seton Hall, and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech.

Newton, a four-star power forward who is rated in the top 80 nationally across his class by several of the main recruiting services, announced his collegiate destination on his mother’s birthday, a plan that Syracuse.com reported Newton had conceived two years prior. “I got my first scholarship offer in the 9th grade and ever since then I wanted to commit on my mom’s birthday,” Newton said in the article.

How sweet!

According to that Syracuse.com story, at one point in Newton’s recruitment, Mt. Zion Prep head coach Rodrick Harrison told Orange assistant Allen Griffin that the ‘Cuse is Newton’s “dream school,” and that’s exactly the kind of young man for whom we should hope to have on the Hill.

"Added Newton in that piece, “Even before Syracuse offered, my mom and I would talk and she’d ask ‘If you had your choice of any school, even if they haven’t offered you, which school would you pick?’ And I’d always pick Syracuse.”"

Newton noted that his father and SU legend Dave Bing grew up in the same D.C. neighborhood. As to why he opted for the Orange, Newton cited his relationships with Griffin and the other ‘Cuse coaches, that he sees himself “fitting the profile of a Syracuse forward” such as Oshae Brissett or Malachi Richardson, and that he’s interested in pursuing a sports-broadcasting career and hopes to enroll in the university’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

In a separate Syracuse.com report, Brian Scott, the associate head coach at Mt. Zion Prep, compared Newton to former SU stars C.J. Fair, Jerami Grant, and Donte Greene. That, my friends, is pretty awesome company.

"“He fits their system up there the same way those guys did. He’s long, agile and athletic. Everybody thinks it’s the perfect choice for him,” Scott said.Scott continued, “He’s exactly what they like to see in a forward. He’s a Swiss Army knife. He does a little bit of everything. He’s a very good defender, a good rebounder, a guy who can grab a rebound and lead the break.”"

Newton, per Scott, is a versatile defender who is diligently working on his offensive skills. “He’s got an aggressive streak. He can get to the basket, but he’s got to get stronger. It’s nothing we can’t fix over the course of the next year,” according to Scott.

All in all, the Orange hoops program appears to have found a gem in Newton, and I can’t wait to watch him suit up for the ‘Cuse beginning with the 2020-21 campaign.