Newtons Game Rising with Hard Work
Following his junior season at Phillips Exeter Academy, his first in Class A of the NEPSAC, Greg Newton knew there were areas of his game that needed improvement.
“I spent a lot of time with Coach [Jay] Tilton watching film, analyzing my game, and developing a plan for me to improve certain areas,” Newton told the New England Recruiting Report.
That plan involved an intense post-season training regiment last spring which typically included daily double sessions of three potential workouts designed to help him become a more consistent perimeter shooter, better finisher inside the paint, and improve his overall ball-handling.
Three times a week Newton would go through a morning workout with assistant coach Noah Clark, a former player and record holder at Williams College, which revolved around ball-handling and finishing inside the lane with floaters. Four days a week Newton would come back in the afternoon and hit the weight room, and then he would come back at night, just about every day of the week, to either go through an individual workout with Coach Tilton or play 5 on 5 pick-up with his teammates.
By the time the summer rolled around Newton was certainly reaping the rewards as he played to rave reviews at a series of camps including Hoop Mountain Super Week II and the Academic All-American Camp.
But Newton is as humble as he is driven, and was quick to give the credit to his coaches for putting in the extra time with him as well a former teammate, Josh Bartelstein, who went on to the University of Michigan.
“Josh was a little bit of a mentor to me,” Newton said, “especially when it came to my shot. You can’t really get better than Josh when it comes to shooting, and seeing how hard he worked and then go on to Michigan, it helped drive me.”
Newton has been putting in more long hours at the gym this fall since returning to the Exeter campus, while also having emerged as one of the leaders of this year’s team.
Having had the benefit of last year, Newton knows what to expect from the coming season, and his work ethic has set an example for Exeter’s incoming players to model themselves after.
The NEPSAC should prepare for a totally different player than they saw a season ago. Always able to get to the rim, Newton now has a wealth of options at his disposal once inside the paint. He’s passing the ball tremendously well off the dribble, while also being able to score with short pull-ups, floaters, and wide angled lay-ups. But defenders should also be forewarned about backing off him and playing him for the drive, as his perimeter jumper has become much more consistent.
Newton’s development within the last eight months hasn’t gone unnoticed as he’s now generating recruiting interest from division I and II college coaches.
“I just want to find the right fit in all aspects,” Newton said, “however long that takes.”
You can bet that before it’s all said and done the talented guard will have a plethora of options to choose from as there aren’t a whole lot of guards that can duplicate his work ethic, discipline, sheer ability, and desire to get better.
Josh Bartelstein
Greg Newton