DJ Newbill had the smallest hint of red in his eyes as he took the the podium after Penn State’s 55-47 loss to No. 5 Wisconsin.
He was the only player to speak after the game. He was nearly the only one to play for Penn State during it.
Of the Nittany Lions’ 47 points, Newbill scored 29. He was responsible for 37 if you account for his three assists. He was the offense, he was the heart and he was the soul of Penn State’s engine.
But in truth, he always has been.
Even through the eyes of objective journalism it is easy to feel for Newbill. Penn State has now lost nine games in Big Ten play by fewer than 10 points. The Nittany Lions have lost games in the final seconds, they have lost games in overtime, they have had last second shots not fall or last second fouls not called.
It’s a cruel result in a sport that promises to reward hard work and effort.
Ask him and he’ll tell you that he feels at home at Penn State. From a career at Marquette that never started, to a short lived tenure at Southern Miss to Penn State, Newbill finally found a home. There is no regret, no second guessing.
The path to this point has been even harder, the death of both his mother and a long time mentor, moments that the hardened North Philly product rarely mentions. Moments though that impacted his time at Penn State.
Unknown to him, head coach Pat Chambers and teammates would travel by bus to Philadelphia for the funeral of Newbill’s mother. It was a situation that helped create the kind of bond that doesn’t break after a few, or even many losses. If anything Newbill’s effort is a reflection of that bond as much as the result of his own desire to win.
By default Newbill is largely overlooked by the rest of the world outside of Penn State. He is the best player on a team that rarely bubbles to the surface of college basketball’s collective consciousness.
His good games often come in losing efforts, His winning performances rarely last the time it takes to refresh the feed of any social media platform. He will have no Talor Battle tournament moments, he will not have the supporting cast to match his Jamelle Cornely-sized heart. It’s just DJ trying to do the best he can.
So on Wednesday night Newbill put on the kind of performance you just don’t forget. Not because of his numbers. Not because he scored 29 points (not even his career high) but simply because there was no let up until the clock hit zero. DJ Newbill took on one of the best teams in the nation and nearly won.
But Newbill didn’t do it for the 15 minutes of fame. Professional scouts can watch DVDs of his performances long after the game ended.
Newbill just wants to win. He plays for a team that is a handful of baskets away from being relevant, a few baskets away from a 20+ win season and tournament hopes to dream about. He can see greener pastures but he can never reach them as if some unseen force is forever extending the distance he has left to travel.
And so those baskets haven’t come, those bounces haven’t fallen. Even on Wednesday, down five with the ball in the game’s final minutes Newbill tripped over a screen set by Ross Travis that Penn State has run a million times. The result, Newbill’s only turnover in 39 minutes of play. His only mistake in a nearly flawless performance. The carpet pulled out from under him once again. “Think you did enough? Try again.”
And so DJ Newbill sits on the outside looking in.
The result is equal parts admirable and painful to watch. Newbill says he hasn’t been tired in years, a theory perhaps best supported by the fact he rarely gives up. You could tell him the result will be the same, but he’ll tell you that just means there is more work to do. He is the boxer that would go 100 rounds with broken hands. There is no quit. That’s not who he is.
You feel for him. It’s hard not to.
“He’s an amazing kid. I love him to death. I hurt for him,” Chambers said after the game through gritted teeth.
“I want to win so badly, not just for our program, not just for our team, but for him especially. He’s done so much for this program over the last four years. You try to come up with different things to help him and help this team win. He deserves it and he’s earned the right. We’ve got some games left here. Hopefully he tastes victory, because he’s definitely earned it.”
That is the real tragedy of DJ Newbill’s rapidly ending career at Penn State. He will never be enjoyed by the college basketball masses on a level that his talent deserves. Even with a long professional career looming and games left to be played at Penn State, he will transition out of college basketball as a fond memory to many and an unknown to most. An NIT run could give him a proper exit, but it can’t make up for the indifference many people have towards him.
And that is a shame.
Because DJ Newbill deserves better.
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