One thing you can say about Milt Newton. He’s made the most of his time since last basketball season.
Newton, a 6-4 junior, played in the Pan American Games and also picked up a new hobby.
In fact, Newton has already reached the second level of expertise in his new avocation – Tae Kwon Do – by earning a green belt.
During basketball, naturally, he won’t participate in Tae Kwon Do. But after the season, he plans to pursue a blue belt and eventually try to reach the top level by earning a black belt.
“I was in a Tae Kwon Do tournament in Kansas City,” Newton reported, “and I won the green belt competition in the heavyweight division. I’ve been at it for about seven or eight months now. Being an athlete is probably the reason I advanced so quickly.
“But I don’t think I’ll be sparring during the season,” he noted. “I plan to go back into it after the season because I plan to become a black belt. Usually, it takes years.”
Newton and some of his teammates – Archie Marshall, Mark Randall, Scooter Barry and Chris Piper – tried Tae Kwon Do after last season, but Newton’s interest has been the strongest.
“I enjoy it a lot,” he acknowledged. “Sometimes when you’re stressed out, you can go in and kick the bag a couple of times. That makes you feel better.”
And what was head coach Larry Brown’s reaction?
“He thought it was good for the guys,” Newton said, “because it makes you more mobile, more quick on your feet and more aware of things. He saw that as a plus.”
Another plus for Newton was his participation in the Pan Am Games. He was a starter on the Virgin Islands basketball team. He averaged 20 points per game, including 32 points against gold medal winner Brazil.
“I had a chance to work on my dribbling because I brought the ball up the floor a lot,” Newton said. “It helped in terms of confidence because I had a chance to play against some good competition.”
Newton was eligible to play for the Virgin Islands because he was born there, although he left when he was a baby.
“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” he said about playing in the Games. “Competition is competition. I was fortunate. I think I played pretty well. It has given me a whole lot of confidence. It was reallly more physical than college basketball.”
Last year, he played in 32 of KU’s 36 games and started twice. He averaged 3.7 points, but some of his playing time came in pressure situations.
