Expected to become one of the team’s leading scorers in the upcoming season, Kansas sophomore guard Malik Newman did his best to learn from his teammates last year.
That included picking up things from national player of the year Frank Mason III and returning senior Devonte Graham during practices. As a transfer from Mississippi State, Newman was ineligible to play last year.
“Just being able to control the pace of the game; toughness,” Newman said. “Just the leadership that those guys brought and the respect that they had.”
In addition to what he learned, he spent extra time working on his ball handling. He had a chance to bring the ball up the court in various scrimmages last month, and plans to help Graham at point guard when the team plays in Italy in August.
“I always play with the ball in my hand and I’ve always been comfortable with it,” Newman said. “But I think last year I took a bigger step as far as playing with the ball in my hands.”
