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Top prospect copped big-time buzz from coaches

Class 5A Boys Championship Basketball

Callaway’s Malik Newman (14) shoots over Provine defender Jerekius Davis, right, as Callaway’s Rod Taylor (1) looks on during the third quarter of the Mississippi boy’s Class 5A championship game in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, March 9, 2013. Callaway won 69-65. (AP Photo/Charles Smith)

AP

When you’re going to be out of the country, it’s a perfect time to unplug - just let friends and family leave messages - you’ll get back to them later.

If you’re the No. 1 guard prospect in the class of 2015, and you’re hitting Uruguay with the U.S. U16 team, it’s an even better time to just get away from recruiting for a while.

Then again, it’ll all catch up with you sometime. You can count on that.

Just ask Callaway, Mississippi prospect Malik Newman, who returned from Uruguay, waited patiently for the captain to announce that he was allowed to use his electronic devices again, and turned on his phone, only to get hit with all of the delayed text messages coaches had sent him at midnight, on the dot, on June 15.

From USA Today:

Newman, the No. 1 guard in the ESPN 60, was in Uruguay, helping the USA U16 team win the gold medal. But two days later when he touched down in the U.S., while he was waiting to deplane, Newman turned his phone back on and felt a constant buzz that spanned “five minutes or more.”

“It was crazy,” said Newman, who took home MVP honors for the USA U16 team. “I’ve never gotten that many texts at one time.”

In all, Newman had 121 new text messages, which were originally sent just after midnight on June 15. The messages ranged from sales pitches to basic intros.


Hopefully Newman’s phone wasn’t still buzzing when he went through security. You can bet TSA has heard all the “Sorry, Coach K is on the other line” excuses already.

I have to wonder at the efficacy of this text barrage. I mean, I barely glance at my phone when a member of my family texts me. If I knew everyone from Bill Self to Bashir Mason was going to be ringing through day and night, I’d probably drop the thing in the toilet on purpose.

Then again, I’d be interested to see what kinds of emoticons Thad Matta uses. He seems like a “smiley face with sunglasses doing the thumbs-up” kind of guy.

Eric Angevine is the editor of Storming the Floor. He tweets @stfhoops.