‘I would say I’m 100 percent’: Jakai Newton makes Indiana basketball debut following long road of injuries

After watching Indiana basketball from the bench for a whole season, redshirt freshman Jakai Newton made his collegiate debut in Indiana’s 106-64 exhibition victory over Marian.

Newton was sidelined for the entire 2023-24 season after undergoing knee surgery to treat an injury he sustained in his senior year of high school.

Newton, originally a four star recruit, has built a large anticipation for quite some time regarding when the combo guard would make his Indiana debut.

Newton saw the floor in the exhibition game for 12 minutes, scoring two points on one for five shooting from the field and zero for three shooting from three point area. Newton also added four defensive rebounds and three assists, closing the game with a +/- of +7.

Prior to the current season starting, Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson spoke very highly of Newton.

“The days he’s been out there, it’s been pretty impressive. He’s probably the best explosive athlete on our team,” Woodson said. “… it’s scary how good he is in that regard.”

Newton backed up Woodson’s comment in the exhibition win. The lone basket Newton scored came in an impressive style, drawing an “and one” off of a reverse layup in traffic.

Being able to see Newton make his debut after everything he’s gone through brought joy to Woodson.

“Just brought a smile to my face because this young man has been working and working and working to get back, and finally got a chance to get a few minutes and I thought it’s positive.”

Newton smiled as he reflected on how it felt to be back out on the court in a real game.

“It was just great to be out there,” Newton said. “It’s been so long, just realizing that practice shape and games is two different things. I’ve got to get adjusted to that. But I feel good from being in practice, and I think it will translate as the season goes on.”

Newton’s teammates all shared a similar emotion, enjoying getting to see Newton’s hard work finally pay off.

Indiana sophomore guard Gabe Cupps expressed how special it was to see Newton back out on the floor, healthy.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Cupps said. “Just always been rooting for him to try to get back on the court. Try to do his thing because I know he’s a great player, and how much he loves the game. It’s amazing to see.”

Despite playing 12 minutes against Marian, Newton remains a limited player in both practices and games. 

“I would say I’m 100 percent,” Newton stressed. “I’ve been limited in practice by the coaches just to keep me healthy but I feel 100 percent.”

Coach Woodson explained he and his coaching staff’s reasoning for not allowing Newton to play at full strength. 

“We monitored both of those guys’ (Oumar Ballo and Newton) minutes tonight, and it’s going to be that way until we think they are truly comfortable in playing big minutes.”

Newton will be expected to continue to ramp up minutes in practice and in games accordingly, easing into the playbook fully over time. 

Newton’s injury recovery timed out well for him fortunately, allowing him to play in several low stakes games down the road before Big Ten conference play begins in December. 

Indiana basketball will host its season opener on Wednesday, facing off against SIUE at 8:00 PM ET.

SEE ALSO: Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 106-64 exhibition win over Marian

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