EVANSVILLE, Ind. – You may think that making the move from El Paso, Texas to Evansville, Indiana would be a bit of a culture shock for most people, but that is definitely not the case for University of Evansville freshman Jawaun Newton.    
 
Coming from a military family, Newton spent the first eight years of his life in Tennessee before moving to California for the next five.  His family then moved to El Paso where he has lived at since the 7^th grade as his father has continued to serve the country.   
 
Now – Jawaun is on the move again as he is embarking on his college playing career at UE working with head coach Walter McCarty and his staff.
 
"When I was on my visit, the coaches are all close-knit like family, they showed great interest in me and it made for an easy choice," Newton explained.  "Since I got here, it has been a big adjustment, but I have been getting used to it.  The team has really taken me under their wing."
 
Throughout his whole career, Newton has been seen as a pure athlete.  In his introductory quote on Newton, Coach McCarty said that he has the athleticism to be successful in whatever sport he chose.  Newton definitely got experience playing other sports in high school.
 
"I played football from 6^th grade to my freshman year and also spent time playing baseball and soccer, but I always knew that basketball was my favorite," he said.  "The other sports did help me with basketball – soccer assisted in developing better footwork while baseball was helpful in working with my hand/eye coordination."
 
Those attributes were especially helpful for an athlete who played the point guard position in his high school career.  While playing as a true point guard, Newton finished his senior year with 28.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
 
"I can play the 1 or 2 position; I have always played big in my career, you have to be aggressive and that is where I excelled."
 
When asked who he models his game after, Newton never hesitated.
 
"Bradley Beal.  I have always been a fan of his and how he plays the game."
 
While Beal, who attended the University of Florida and currently plays for the Washington Wizards, is favorite on the floor, it was also an easy choice for who his overall favorite is.
 
"LeBron.  Being a Lakers fan, I could not be happier with the last few weeks."
 
LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of free agency earlier this month.  Newton spent five years living in close proximity to Los Angeles and developed an affinity for the Lakers while he was growing up.  His family lived near Fort Irwin in California, which is close to San Bernardino and within two hours of Los Angeles.
 
When you look at the Newton's productivity and accolades in his high school career, you can see that Newton is taking pages out of the books of his idols.  You do not see many point guards average over 28 points and 7 rebounds per game.  On top of that, he was named the El Paso Times MVP on two occasions, a rarity to get the city's biggest honor for a high school basketball player in back-to-back years (2017-18).
 
"My game was centered around mid-range shooting and attacking the rim; I always took what the defense gave me," Newton explained.  "We did not really have an actual system in high school, if you had to explain the way we played, I would say we were up and down."
 
"The system we will be using here will be a good fit.  It allows me to be in the open floor and make a play.  I can be myself and never have to worry about coaches screaming at me if I mess up."
 
Newton feels like he is getting better each and every day.
 
"I have worked to adjust to it and be able to run our plays.  We learn more plays at every practice and I can see our team getting used to it," Newton said.
 
He also made an interesting point about how much fun practice has been for him and his team.
 
"Practice has been very good so far, the team is helping me adjust, but we are all helping each other," Newton explained.  It is a fun, competitive environment.  There are also friendly competitions among our guys.  We all hate losing in anything, so we compete even in our regular drills."
 
While enjoying the competition, Newton has also seen personal improvement in the X's and O's.
 
"I feel like my game has improved in many areas.  Coach McCarty and the assistant coaches helps us improve at every practice.  Off the floor has also been a helpful experience with the facilities that we have.  I have never been exposed to a weight room like we have.  It has been a valuable learning experience."
 
Summer workouts wrap up this week and Newton is excited to get some time at home before coming back for the school year.
 
"It will be nice to get home on the 21^st (of July) to see my family, but I am very excited to get back.  I am ready to get rolling and help our team make it to the NCAA Tournament."
 

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