The Kansas Jayhawks will not have its brightest star in the recent NCAA National Tournament back for next season. This is after it was announced by Jayhawks guard Malik Newman that he intends to hire an agent and join the 2018 NBA Draft. By hiring an agent, Newman will not have the chance of going back to Lawrence to give it another go with the Jayhawks.
Here is Newman announcing his decision, via Kansas Basketball’s Twitter account along with Matt Tait’s transcription of some quotes from the sweet-shooting guard by Matt Tait of KUSports.com.
Malik Newman announces he is departing #KUbball, plans to hire an agent and enter the NBA Draft.
Wishing you the best, @iammaliknewman!
➡️ https://t.co/ItLwUzFimk pic.twitter.com/MKdFwcy2c1
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) April 4, 2018
“First off I want to thank God for the opportunity,” Newman said in the release. “I want to thank Coach Self and the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity to come to Kansas. I definitely want to thank my teammates. The journey with these guys has been nothing short of amazing. My two years here was everything that I asked for.
Malik Newman makes his decision on the heels of a smash-hit performance in the Big Dance. He led the Jayhawks in scoring during the national tournament with 21.6 points in five games, including the Final Four matchup against eventual champions Villanova Wildcats in which he scored 21 points in a 95-79 loss.
His biggest outing during that stretch came in the Elite Eight showdown with No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils, where he exploded for 13 points in overtime and finished with 32 points on 8-for-19 shooting from the field with five three-pointers, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists in an 85-81 win.
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