Playing the Field: 11-year-old dominates in high school basketball
Over the weekend the New York Times dropped a story on 11-year-old hoops phenom Julian Newman.
The fifth grader had already received some attention for playing on Downey Christian (Orlando, Fla.) school’s varsity basketball team. Namely, Yahoo! wrote a story about him a couple months ago. But, hey, this is the New York Times people. This must be legitimate!
Newman is just 4-foot-5, but is averaging 12 points, 10 assists and four steals per game this season. The kid definitely has dribbling skills, but seriously, why can’t any of these high school keep him from penetrating the lane? He’s 4-foot-5! He’s an 11-year-old! Stand in front of him and get your hands up in the lane.
Check the video:
The kid can play basketball, but I’m embarrassed for those high schoolers.
To be fair, Newman doesn’t play in the official high school athletic system in Florida. Downey Christian is part of a small group of religious schools in central Florida. But that doesn’t excuse his competitors. Someone needs to coach some defense.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. Hand down, man down, people! Learn how to play ball.
