Brownell, Clemson land a real ‘gym rat’

Many factors influenced John Newman’s decision to continue his basketball career at Clemson, but perhaps the most important in his eyes was 24-hour access to the practice court in Littlejohn Coliseum.

“I love that,” said Newman, the most highly regarded recruit in coach Brad Brownell’s seven years at Clemson. “I’m a gym rat.”

Newman, a 6-foot-5 rising senior guard out of Greensboro Day in Greensboro, N.C., verbally committed to the Tigers last week, the day after an official visit. Newman is rated a four-star recruit by ESPN.

“It seemed like the perfect fit for me,” Newman said. “Everyone seemed really genuine. They wanted to get to know me as a person.

“The players were really good and I’ve known the coaches for over a year now. We all get along really well, and the facilities are great. Clemson checked all the boxes for me.”

Newman picked the Tigers over three other finalists – Wake Forest, Providence and Virginia. He also held offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, James Madison, and Old Dominion.

Newman averaged 11.8 points per game last season, helping the Bengals to a 34-4 record and a second consecutive N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 3A championship. He is a two-time NCISAA All-State selection.

Freddy Johnson, Newman’s coach at Greensboro Day, believes Clemson has landed a versatile player that he compares to Justin Gainey, another Greensboro Day product who played at N.C. State.

“He’s extremely coachable, and the best thing about him is he’s a winner,” Johnson said. “He won’t let his team believe it’s going to lose, and he approaches every opponent the same way.

“He’s a really good defensive player and can hit the mid-range jump shot. He also can get to the basket really well. He’s just a complete player.”

Johnson said he was most impressed by Newman’s unselfish attitude late last season when he volunteered to come off the bench.

The Bengals proceeded to go 7-1 and win a second consecutive state title.

“What it did was give us a burst a few minutes into the game,” Johnson said. “But how many players would do that? He puts winning ahead of himself.”

At a recent NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va., Newman led the camp in steals and finished in the top five in free-throw percentage and scoring efficiency.

“I have confidence in myself,” Newman said. “I know how to win and I think that I bring that to a team. I’m going to do whatever it takes, and I don’t think it’s going to be any different when I get to Clemson.”

Newman’s presence also could enhance football coach Dabo Swinney’s odds of landing K.J. Henry, who also hails from the North Carolina Triad area and is a former AAU basketball teammate of Newman’s.

Henry is one of the top defensive end prospects in the nation.

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Brownell, Clemson land a real ‘gym rat’."