John Newman III Relishing Defensive Stopper Role: 'Forces me to be More Locked in'

Newman is having his best college season.

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati's top perimeter defender this season is relishing the locked-in nature those assignments bring. UC guard John Newman III is posting the most efficient offensive season of his career, all while shutting down top-scoring options night in and night out.

He discussed how those assignments actually help his on-court focus in our latest episode of Bearcat Blitz.

"It keeps me engaged in the game," Newman said on the show. "Having to guard these guys, it feels like it's really giving me a task. We all have our tasks, but I kind of have the biggest challenge. So it kind of forces me to be more locked in and more focused mentally on what I have to do being more engaged on the defensive side of the ball. I still got work to do in that sense, but it's an honor. So I take a lot of pride in that and it's also one of my strong suits, so I have fun with it, man. I love it."

Cincinnati's adjusted defensive efficiency has shot up from 57th nationally on Kenpom in 2022-23 to 31st this season with a healthy Newman.

From Desmond Claude to Sherif Gross-Bullock, the veteran's been lights out on defense while posting a career-high in points (10.8) and Player Efficiency Rating (20.2).

UC is looking for more of that this Saturday against arguably the best team it's faced yet in Dayton.

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