NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 2019 recruit Brandon Newman officially visits Purdue, part of final 4 list

Highly touted 2019 recruit Brandon Newman recently cut his college list down to four, all of which includes mid-western schools.

Four-star guard Brandon Newman has had a busy last few weeks. The fun began on Aug. 27 when Newman announced that he was returning to Indiana as well as Valparaiso High School to finish his secondary education and athletic career. He transferred to Montverde Academy (FL) earlier this summer.

Newman then began an official visit to Purdue on Aug. 30. Following his visit to West Lafayette (Ind.) over the weekend, the 6-foot-4 combo guard announced his top-four college choices to on Sept. 2. Indiana, Ohio State and Xavier joined Purdue on the list.

However, Newman reportedly wants to keep options open — which is why the list not a final four — and Kansas is very much still in the mix for his services despite not possessing an offer from the Jayhawks. Newman currently holds 15 scholarship offers.

Newman, ranked just outside the top-100 in 247Sports Composite rankings, is an elite athlete with good length and physical tools. He is a sharpshooting scorer who has the ability put the ball in the basket off the dribble or while attacking the hoop. Newman, who is also a good rebounder for a player his size, still needs to refine his skills and continue to improve.

Newman averaged 24.9 points and 9.1 rebounds at Valparaiso as a junior last season.

Newman will continue his busy schedule over the next few weeks. He is slated to officially visit Indiana on Sept. 7 and then heads to Columbus for an official visit with the Buckeyes on Sept. 22 and 23. While Newman does not currently have anything set up with Xavier, he is expected to eventually visit the Cincinnati campus.

Purdue and Indiana are expected to be the favorites to nab the Newman services.

Examining Newman’s top-four teams

Purdue: Newman told Matthew Bain of the Des Moines Register that the Boilermakers have been recruiting him the hardest. He said that either head coach Matt Painter or a Boilermakers assistant was at everyone of his AAU games in Milwaukee at the end of July.

“I do (feel like a priority),” Newman said. “They’ve been at every game last weekend, every single game in Milwaukee. They’ve really been at every game, calling me, texting me, things like that.”

Purdue has already landed two 2019 commitments, forward Mason Gillis and point guard Isaiah Thompson. The Boilermakers are also interested in several other prospects from the 2019 class and are believed to be the favorites for four-star Malik Hall.

Indiana: The Hoosiers made their overture to Newman when he was on the Bloomington campus for an unofficial visit on June 25. Here is what Newman said about the Hoosiers.

"“We speak weekly, daily. Texts and calls. They see me as a guy who can make shots and defend. A two-way player. A guy that’s vocal.I like the way they play, really. I really enjoyed myself when they beat Northwestern by like 20. They’re fast, they like to run. They have guys that can make shots.”"

IU is projected to have just two scholarships available for 2019. The Hoosiers currently have 10 open scholarship offers with several to top prospects from the class, including Isaiah Stewart, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jahmius Ramsey.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes didn’t offer Newman until July 5. However, the Buckeyes have been greatly interested in him ever since, despite getting a commitment from five-star D.J. Carton in the meantime.

The Buckeyes are projected to have just one 2019 scholarship available as they also have a commitment from four-star power forward Alonzo Gaffney. OSU has a total of 19 open scholarship offers for next year.

Xavier: Newman also is in constant contact with the Musketeer coaches. Xavier has already received three commitments from the class of 2019, but since they only have 10 players on scholarship for the 2018-19 campaign they have three more scholarships available. The Musketeers also have the most open scholarship offers with 27.

Zach Freemantle, Daniel Ramsey and Dieonte Miller are the players from the class of 2019 who have a made a pledge to Xavier.

I agree that Purdue and Indiana are likely the favorites to win Newman’s commitment. However, I believe Xavier has the best opportunity to land him due to the fact that they have more “room” available on next year’s roster and is not as well positioned as the other three to nab a top-rated prospect. Kansas and perhaps a couple of other schools who have offered him could also woo him enough to win him over.