By MATT GRAVETT
Special to ZAGSBLOG
MINNEAPOLIS — Plenty of high school basketball players say they will become package deals to college.
But very few actually make it happen.
Malik Newman says he and five-star center Diamond Stone will end up making it a reality.
“It’s 100 percent,” the 6-foot-3 Newman told SNY.tv exclusively Saturday at the NIKE EYBL session here. “Hopefully, everything works out, but right now everything is going good. That’s the plan — we don’t plan on changing.
“We try not to talk about it every day, but at least once a week. Just keep it fresh, keep it on our mind, so we try to talk about it at least once a week.”
Which team will land two of the country’s best talents?
“I just want to go wherever I can show my talent, and somewhere that’s going to make and push me to work hard each and every day,” said Newman, who’s leading the Jackson Tigers in points (24.7), rebounds (5.9), and assists (3.0) and helped his team on Saturday to wins over The Family and Expressions Elite.
The Jackson (MS) Calloway guard doesn’t want to name a favorite, but lists UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, N.C. State and Mississippi State as the programs recruiting him the hardest.
Of the schools that are recruiting Newman the hardest, Stone holds offers from UConn and Kansas.
Before heading off to college, the duo will likely be able to play together for Team USA. They’ll play in Dubai at the FIBA U17 World Championships this August.
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