One of a handful of sophomores in Illinois with a division one offer to their name is Niko Newsome. The 6’5” wing of Bloomington High School picked up an offer from Western Illinois back in December. 

“I like the way they play and how they run their game…I also like the coaching staff. I haven’t visited there yet but I’m looking forward to visiting there soon,” he said about Western Illinois. While they are the lone school to have offered, plenty of others have shown interest. Eastern Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, Radford, and Southern Illinois are among the programs to have expressed interest in Newsome. 

All the recruitment comes on the heels of a strong sophomore year. Newsome averaged 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. “I would say my sophomore year went decent, started slow and started to get the hang of it at the end of the season. It’s all a learning process and having me on varsity last year as a freshman helped me a lot this year,” he said. 

When describing his game, Newsome said “A long and lengthy guard that can do a little bit of everything on defense and offense, but my main thing is slashing, shooting, and playing perimeter defense. Also building my teammates up and getting them involved.”

This spring, he will be suiting up for Mac Irvin Fire.