University of Richmond Athletics
My Perspective
02/13/2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2001
John Newman was a four-year letterwinner for the Richmond Spiders and is the all-time scoring leader in the program's history. He was named first-team all-conference three times and was the Colonial Athletic Association's MVP in 1983-1984. Newman was selected in the second round of the NBA draft in 1986. In his 15th season in the professional ranks, Newman is currently with the New Jersey Nets.
As a youngster growing up in Central Virginia, my parents always stressed to me the importance of making the right choices. Each and every choice I made, they said, would result in consequences that would shape my future ... shape my life.
Choose wisely and choose carefully, they urged.
One of the earliest choices I made was to spend the majority of my time on the blacktop. I could stay away from trouble and here I could choose whom I wanted to be around.
Every day I would spend hours practicing my jump shot. Every day I would work to get better. Basketball, I found, always gave me a sense of structure, a sense of direction, a sense of accomplishment.
My choice to spend time on the blacktop paid off. I became an accomplished high school basketball player, and I was heavily recruited to play college ball. When it came time to make the choice, I knew it would be one of the most important in my life.
As my college decision neared, I realized I had no reason to stray too far from home. When I visited the beautiful University of Richmond campus, and when I stepped onto the court of the Robins Center, I felt like I was home. Talking to the people there, I knew I would receive the education I wanted in addition to getting the discipline and care that a family provides. I knew I was making the right choice.
I soon found that my time spent on the blacktop had prepared me for my four-year career as a basketball player at Richmond. Under the guidance of Coach Dick Tarrant and because of the teamwork of intelligent and skilled players, I excelled as an athlete, becoming the all-time leading scorer in Spider history and the MVP of the Colonial Athletic Association.
My contributions and those of my teammates helped put Richmond's basketball program on the map, with our team the first in Spider history to make the NCAA Tournament. The spirit and excitement of March Madness has stayed with me until this day and at the time pumped new vitality into the Richmond athletics program. Our first visit to the big dance was followed by another and by a trip to the NIT. Needless to say, these are some of the greatest basketball memories of my life.
After graduation, I was picked high in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a NBA player, I have had the good fortune to play against such greats as Magic, Larry Bird, Jordan, Isaiah, "Dr. J," and Kareem. I would have never been blessed with this opportunity if not for the guidance and leadership provided me as a student-athlete at Richmond.
Like the blacktops of my youth, the University of Richmond prepared me for my future. It prepared me for a career in the game that I love and provided me with an education that will always serve me well.
It's all about making the right choices.
