University of Miami Recruiting 9-Year-Old Basketball Star Jaden Newman

She has an Allen Iverson crossover, Muggsy Bogues handles and presumably a 9 p.m. bedtime. 

At the unbelievably young age of nine, Jaden Newman is averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 assists at the high school level. A point guard at Downey Christian School, she’s one of the best young ballplayers in America.

The craziest part of Newman's short life, however, might be the fact that she's already the recruiting target of at least one Division I basketball program.

According to Cam Smith of USA Today (via The Indianapolis Star), Newman received a full recruiting packet from the University of Miami in June and has already completed her first recruiting trip to campus. 

Smith’s report says Miami women’s basketball assistant coach Derrick Gibbs began the recruiting process by phoning Newman’s parents.

While some parents might be hesitant in allowing an organization to court their nine-year-old, the Newman family appears ready to dance. Newman appeared on Fox Sports’ now-defunct show Crowd Goes Wild in January and showcased her dribbling skills against former NFL defensive end Trevor Pryce. 

Smith writes that Newman is the product of a basketball family in which hoop excellence is instilled at a young age.

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There’s a reason why college programs are hot on Newman’s heels. The girls hoops prodigy follows in the footsteps of her brother, Julian Newman, who excelled as an elementary schooler competing on the Downey Christian boys team. Both have been brought up by their father to train hard and focus on basketball when they’re not in school.

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Are both parties putting the cart before the horse with this recruiting? Maybe. Then again, Newman puts girls twice her age to the sword on a regular basis.

On the other hand, much can occur in the nine years between now and when Newman finally heads off to college. Such a span leaves as much room for other interests to crop up as it does athletic growth. 

We’ll see where things go from here, but rest assured, more suitors will join the chase should she continue thriving on the hardwood. 

Smith reports the nine-year-old’s first choice is UConn, meaning Miami might have to contend with the biggest powerhouse in women’s college hoops at some point down the road. 

I guess Miami thinks by getting its foot in the door while Newman’s age rests in the single digits, it might increase its odds of landing a commit. Then again, when you’re competing against a program with Geno Auriemma and nine college basketball national championships for a recruit, you need all the help you can get.

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