Indiana Guard Jakai Newton Unsure What Freshman Year Holds After Knee Surgery

At Indiana basketball media day on Wednesday, freshman guard Jakai Newton discussed the status of his knee injury, as well as why he chose to play for coach Mike Woodson.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana freshman guard Jakai Newton wore a hefty brace on his left knee and walked with crutches during Wednesday's Indiana basketball media day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The school announced on Aug. 16 that Newton underwent a procedure to treat a pre-existing injury, and there is no timetable for his return.

On Wednesday, roughly one month after this announcement, Newton was asked if he believes he has a chance to play for Indiana during the 2023-24 season.

"It's still up in the air," Newton said Wednesday. "I don't really know yet."

As for his current, day-to-day rehab process, Newton remains limited.

"It's really slow," Newton said. "I haven't really been able to do anything. I'm just working on flexibility right now. That's pretty much it."

After suffering a meniscus injury in May of 2022, Newton was unable to play in AAU games throughout the summer and missed the first 21 games of his senior season. 

Newton returned to action on Feb. 3. In his second game back from injury on Feb. 6, he blocked the nation's No. 1 recruit Isaiah Collier at the rim, revealing the kind of athleticism that made Newton a sought-after recruit. 

Indiana signee Jakai Newton, in only his second game back from a meniscus injury, hasn't lost his hops 🐰@jakai_newton @NewtonRamsHoops @PaulBiancardi pic.twitter.com/wbh9Y6RjE1

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) February 7, 2023

During his junior season, he averaged 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, and helped Newton High School reach the 2022 AAAAAAA state semifinals. Newton was a consensus four-star recruit, ranked No. 72 in the nation by Rivals, No. 87 On3 and No. 127 by 247 Sports. 

Newton held offers from various southern schools like Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and others, but his decision to play at Indiana started with coach Mike Woodson.

"Definitely Woody, but mainly the opportunities on the court and outside the court," Newton said of his college decision. "Woody's been to the league. He knows what it takes to get guys like me there. Then outside of it, there's a lot of business opportunities here, and that's the type of thing I like to do."

Despite returning for the late stages of his senior year of high school, Newton's availability during his freshman year at Indiana remains in question after undergoing knee surgery on Aug. 16.

When healthy, Newton could be a valuable piece to Indiana's backcourt depth because of his explosiveness and above-the-rim athleticism.

While he's unsure of his availability for this game, Newton is excited that Indiana scheduled a game near his hometown. The Hoosiers play Auburn on Dec. 9 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga.

"Yeah, I'm hoping I'll be ready for that game," Newton said. "But I'm definitely looking forward to that."

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• HOW NEWTON'S INJURY IMPACTS IU: Incoming freshman Jakai Newton is out indefinitely with a knee injury. While he wasn't expected to step into a starting role in 2023-24, his absence is a hit to Indiana's guard depth and puts pressure on unproven players to step up. CLICK HERE
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• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Coach Mike Woodson spoke publicly for the first time this school year on Wednesday during Indiana basketball media day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Here's everything he said. CLICK HERE
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• MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The 2023-24 Indiana basketball schedule is now finalized, with both the Big Ten schedule and nonconference slate announced. We'll update this file throughout the season as game times and TV designations are released. CLICK HERE