Penn State's Newbill could go in second round of NBA draft
LAS VEGAS - D.J. Newbill is the poster child for perseverance. He overcame it when his dream college turned its back on him and then the situation at his new school did not work out. He also dealt with the death of his mother. But while some people might have given up on their dreams, the recent Penn State graduate remained motivated.
LAS VEGAS - D.J. Newbill is the poster child for perseverance.
He overcame it when his dream college turned its back on him and then the situation at his new school did not work out. He also dealt with the death of his mother. But while some people might have given up on their dreams, the recent Penn State graduate remained motivated.
Now the 6-foot-4, 210-pound point guard could hear his named called in the second round of the NBA draft on June 25.
"I talk to all my friends back home. We joke and laugh about how far I came until now," Newbill said after a pro day workout Friday in front of 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie and other NBA executives and scouts. "They always tell me, 'Man, we all want a chance like this.' And I realize that.
"So this is a privilege. I'm happy to be in this situation. So I just take it in and maximize this opportunity."
The former Strawberry Mansion High School standout was in Denver Monday, working out for the Nuggets. That marked his fourth workout in as many days.
After his pro day, he worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers (Saturday) and the Indiana Pacers (Sunday). He has also worked out for the 76ers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder. He is scheduled to work out for the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and the Clippers, a second time, before the draft.
Newbill could be a second-round steal.
The 23-year-old guard led the Big Ten in scoring at 20.7 points as a senior. He is a two-time second-team all-conference selection. Newbill transferred to Penn State in August 2011 after his freshman year at Southern Mississippi.
"I'm self-motivated man because of everything I've been through," he said. " It just adds fuel to the fire. I already had a fire from me just being from North Philly. So everything I've been throughout the years just made it worse.
"Just me wanting to take care of my family and just loving to compete, I just want to compete and be a winner."
Newbill said his No. 1 means of motivation comes from watching his mother, Tawanda Roach, provide for her four children as a single parent before she died from stomach cancer three years ago.
"I watched my mom struggle, working two or three jobs, watching her struggle to just make ends meet," he said. "So that was the start right there with me wanting to take her out of this.
"Then when my mom passed, I was like, I'm going to continue this journey. I'm going to live for her. I'm just not going to let my dream go away. I'm going to do it for her. I'm going to do what she really needed me to do."
Newbill is determined to provide for his sister Diamond, 14. He and Diamond were his mother's youngest children.
But there was a time when it appeared that Newbill's dream to play in college - let alone the NBA - was shattered.
Newbill signed a national letter of intent to play at Marquette University during his senior season at Strawberry Mansion. However, Marquette cut ties with Newbill the week before he was to report for summer classes on July 7, 2010.
The school was able to get out of honoring his scholarship because Newbill never sent Marquette an official application and a required essay.
Instead, he ended up at Southern Miss. Although he averaged 9.16 points and 6.22 rebounds as a freshman, Newbill was miserable in Hattiesburg. He transferred to Penn State and his dream lived on.
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