Syracuse Basketball: Woody Newton says, ‘I feel as if I lost trust there’

Former Syracuse basketball forward Woody Newton had a few games early on in the 2020-21 campaign where he showed why he was a four-star prospect coming out of high school.

The 6-foot-8 Newton, out of Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., performed admirably in those couple of contests, displaying his solid range from beyond the arc, as well as his athleticism and defensive instincts.

For full disclosure, I’ve always been high on Newton, and I was really bummed when word broke not too long ago that he had entered into the NCAA’s transfer portal.

At the same time, I wasn’t too surprised by his decision, and I of course respected it. When the calendar year turned to 2021, Newton didn’t play virtually at all.

So in mid-April, Newton revealed on Twitter that he was transferring to Oklahoma State, a really good team out of the Big 12 Conference. I wish Newton well, and I believe that he will shine with the Cowboys.

https://twitter.com/Woody4x_/status/1383072445398138888

In a recent story by Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman, Newton detailed why he made the move to Oklahoma State, and what his freshman stanza with the ‘Cuse was like, including how he tested positive for Covid-19.

It’s an eye-opening piece by Unruh that I recommend you carve out some time to read. In particular, Newton had some interesting things to say about his tenure with the Orange.

Former Syracuse basketball forward Woody Newton discussed his one season at the ‘Cuse.

According to The Oklahoman story, Newton experienced tough symptoms after testing positive for Covid-19. He says he knew that it would take some time to recover, but Newton wasn’t able to crack head coach Jim Boeheim’s regular rotation.

“It really hurt,” Newton told The Oklahoman. “It messed with me because I know that I can be out there contributing, helping my team win. Games I see us losing by five points, we’re down by 20 – maybe I can change that. Who knows.”

He added that Boeheim “never gave an exact reasoning why Newton didn’t play much in the second half of the season,” per The Oklahoman report.

Newton summed it up this way, saying “I feel as if I lost trust there. If I don’t have trust, we have nothing. If I can’t trust you, it was easy, to be honest. I already knew what I wanted to do.”

And so Newton has come on board with Oklahoma State. I wish that I had gotten to see him in a Syracuse basketball uniform for longer, but sometimes in this sport, things just aren’t meant to be.