It wasn’t too long ago that Penn State guard DJ Newbill was planning to go to Marquette. He had been recruited, he had committed, and he was mentally preparing for all the things that come with college and major college basketball.
But then one day his scholarship offer was dropped. There was no more Marquette. From there Newbill made a stop at Southern Miss before finally landing at Penn State.
And while that time has long passed, Wednesday night Newbill will face it once again. The Nittany Lions take on Virginia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge coached by Buzz Williams, the man who was once set to be Newbill’s head coach at Marquette. That plan was cut short by Williams and his staff in favor of another player.
Recruiting is in its very nature a dirty feeling business but even the youngest players understand eventually that it usually all works out in the end. In the very least the highly sought after ones appreciate that it isn’t always personal when decisions are made.
That’s something Newbill keeps in mind more than the drama that led him to Penn State in the first place.
“You know, it’s something that I remember, but heading into this game I’m just focused on doing whatever I’ve got to do to get the win,” Newbill said at the Bryce Jordan Center earlier this week. “Whatever happened in the past is the past. I’m happy where I’m at, this is probably the greatest decision I’ve ever made. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t have been here. So no hard feelings here.”
Even if Newbill plays Wednesday night’s game with a bit of an edge it might be hard to spot it. Going on five straight 20+ point performances including a 35 point tally to start off the streak won’t make any scoring in bulk that happens against Virginia Tech anything out of the ordinary.
Ultimately, Newbill has repeatedly talked about the happiness and comfort he has felt at Penn State. So if anything, what may have once been an unfortunate turn of events have turned into a blessing in disguise.
“I believe that everything happens for a reason so who knows what would have happened. He moved on from there, so who knows. At first I didn’t even know he was the coach (at VT) until after the season started. But for me I’m just excited to be playing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We lost it last year so we’ve got a chance to redeem ourselves this year. So that’s my main focus.”
A win against the Hokies will improve Penn State to 7-1 on the year with five out-of-conference games remaining. The Nittany Lions are currently on a four-game winning streak after falling in double overtime to Charlotte.
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