Recruiting Report: Ben Newton (2016)

<strong>Ben Newton </strong>has opportunities to continue his sports career. For now, those chances are on the baseball diamond, but the senior guard hopes a breakout season on the hardwood garners him looks in basketball, as well. “For baseball, I’ve been talking to Fort Hayes State, New Mexico Highlands, Augustana and South Dakota,” Newton, who has offers from Fort Hayes and Benedict College in South Carolina, said. As a junior, the catcher finished with a .345 batting average and a .424 on-base percentage. “That’s my main position, but I can also play infield for a lot of schools,” he noted. “It’s just like basketball, my versatility allows me to play a lot of positions. My height and weight, I’m still growing and getting stronger.” Newton, an outstanding student with an ACT score of 26 and a GPA of 3.85, is a 6-foot-2 and 170-pound defensive stopper. With a 6-foot-6 wingspan and solid athleticism and instincts, Newton excels at that end of the court. “I think a big part of the defensive end for me is that I can guard guards and I can also switch onto a post and still guard really well,” he said. Offensively, Newton will be looked to for major scoring punch for a Loveland team that graduated Hunter Wylie, a knockdown shooter who signed with Concordia University, and Zach Jones, an athletic wing and Johnson and Wales University signee. The Indians regularly went nine-deep in their rotation during a year of mixed results, finishing the regular season with four consecutive victories and sneaking into the 5A state tournament before a first round playoff loss at Lincoln. They had a 12-12 record. With pretty balanced scoring with nine guys averaging between 14.5 and 2.5 points, Newton was productive as one of the first players off the bench while tallying 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.7 steals per game. As one of only two guys, along with <strong>Ayden Eberhardt </strong>(9.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 48 percent from three), back from last season’s rotation, Newton will look to up his numbers across the board under first-year coach Adam Anderson. The team may have some early struggles as many of their top players, Eberhardt, <strong>Aidan McQuade</strong>, <strong>Ryan Svendsen</strong> and <strong>Calvin Kelley</strong>, are closing out their football seasons at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday when the Indians take on Windsor in the 4A state finals. Newton thinks his team might surprise when fully loaded. “I’m really excited about our new staff,” he said, as every level in the program has a new coach. “I like them a lot so far. I think me, along with Ayden Eberhardt and <strong>Marcus Quere</strong>, we’re going to be looked on for a lot of the scoring. Also, all three of us can play good defense. We’re going to be there to set the tempo for the team. A goal I have is to get past the first round of the playoffs and hopefully we can make some noise from there.” Quere, a potential Division I recruit in cross country and track and field, and Eberhardt, an outstanding football, basketball and baseball player, are athletes. As is Newton, on a Loveland team full of multi-sport athletes, many of which are back in the program after a one-year hiatus. The goal will be to gel a new lineup. Newton will be counted on for experience and production. “I think I’m able to find my shot when I need to and then I can also create for a lot of guys,” he said. “I feel like I’m really good off the pick-and-roll. That’s probably my strongest point in an offense.” Already a potential baseball recruit, the point/shooting guard could make an impact at the next level in basketball, as well. He’s a small-school prospect in hoops but, in large part to playing club baseball and not basketball over the summers, has yet to receive college interest. “I think I can make an impact at the NAIA or D-III level,” Newton said. “I think a D-II school could see my potential too.”