Penn State Player Spotlight: DJ Newbill
The Penn State men’s basketball team hasn’t appeared in the NCAA tournament since 2011. Just a season ago, they finished with a losing record of 16-18 and appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For head coach Pat Chambers and the rest of the Nittany Lion squad, that’s not enough.
With the season opener steadily approaching, Penn State’s veteran crew prepares for an improved 2014-2015 season. There will be many veteran contributors, but perhaps the most important will be senior captain D.J. Newbill.
After losing Tim Frazier, who now is on the NBA Development League team for the Boston Celtics, Newbill will be asked to take his talents to the point guard position. As a junior, Newbill spent most of his time in the traditional guard position, averaging a team high of 17.8 points per game and shooting 45% from the field.
However, his transition will be nothing new. During Newbill’s sophomore season, he was asked to take the place of an injured Frazier.
“It doesn’t matter to me what position I play. Coach [Chambers] is going to put me in the best position that he thinks is going to be a success for the team,” said Newbill.
No matter where Newbill plays, it’s certain that he’ll be a major contributor to the team. Last year, he reached the 1,000-point mark in a game against Wisconsin. This made Newbill the 31st player in Penn State history to reach the mark, and only the fourth Penn State player to reach 500 points in multiple campaigns. He was second in the Big Ten in scoring, and had the most field goals and second-most points out of any Big Ten player.
In high school, Newbill was a basketball standout. He was the Pennsylvania Class AA Player-of-the-Year in his senior season, and he was a first-team all-state selection by the Philadelphia Daily News.
His impact in college was immediate as he took his talents to Southern Mississippi, where he started every game on what was already a veteran squad. He then transferred to Penn State, where he was red-shirted for a year.
After a year of training and rehabilitation for a hurt shoulder, Newbill was ready for his 2012-2013 sophomore campaign. The year was a success on many terms. Not only was Newbill a team captain and the Big Ten’s fourth highest scorer, but he also made an appearance on ESPN when he dunked over Wisconsin’s Jared Berggren.
After seasons of personal success and accolades, Newbill now faces one final go-around. As a senior, you’d expect Newbill to be filled with a sense of urgency and anxiousness, but it’s quite the opposite.
“I’ve got a great group of guys around me. We’ve got five seniors on the team, so I think that we’re all just carrying the load for each other. “
As college basketball begins, many pre-season top players lists are being released. D.J. Newbill is often disregarded on many of these lists, and hasn’t caught the attention of big-time sports media. While that would bother most Division I athletes, it barely crosses the mind of Newbill, who doesn’t need attention in order to produce good results.
Perhaps he’s one of the most underrated college basketball players in the country. When asked about it, Newbill had this to say.
“I don’t pay attention to those things. I’m here to win basketball games. What they put in the media is going to be their opinions…what they put in the media and stuff, it just really doesn’t phase me. I’m just worried about coming in everyday with a great attitude, getting better, and helping my teammates get better.”
With Newbill playing more of a role as a facilitator this year, he will certainly be able to help his teammates out. His positive attitude and vigorous work ethic might just be the key for this Penn State team.
You can catch Newbill and the rest of the Penn State men’s basketball in their season opener against Morgan State this Friday at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.
(Photo Credit: AP Photo/Joe Hermitt)
Alex Bobbyn is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email aeb5671@psu.edu
