Steve Newton
Encyclopedia
Steve Newton is an American
basketball
coach
. He was head men's coach at Murray State University
from 1985 to 1991 and at University of South Carolina
from 1991–1993. A native of Terre Haute, Indiana
, he was a player at Indiana State University
from 1960–1963.
high schools, Newton served as an assistant coach under Ron Greene
at University of New Orleans
, Mississippi State and Murray State from 1969–1985. In 1972 he helped lead New Orleans to the Associated Press Division II national championship.
. In six seasons as the Racers head coach, Newton had an overall record of 116-65 (64%), a Conference mark of 43-7 (86%) and won four Ohio Valley Conference regular season and three OVC Tournament titles. Newton became only the second coach in OVC history to lead his team to four consecutive league titles. Only western Kentucky's E.A. Diddle had ever won or shared four straight OVC championships, from 1953-57. The Racers during Newton's tenure earned three NCAA tournament
appearances and one NIT
appearance. The high point of his career at Murray State came on March 18, 1988 when the Racers defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack 78-75 in the first round of the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. It was Murray State's first Tournament victory. Murray State would lose to eventual national champion Kansas by three points in the second round; that game was KU's closest in route to the championship.
At the 1988 NCAA Basketball Coaches Convention, Newton was awarded the 1987-88 Kodak Basketball District 7 Coach of the Year in Division 1.He was named OVC Coach of the Year twice (1988, 1990) and recruited and coached 15 All-OVC and four OVC Player of the Year selections, including Racer great Ron "Popeye" Jones.
Newton was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame in Nashville,TN on June 1, 2007.
On February 6, 2010, Newton was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in Murray Ky.
head basketball coach on July 11, 1991. He coached the inaugural Southeastern Conference game for the Gamecocks on January 4, 1992 against the University of Kentucky. Highlights of the year 1991-92 included the Texaco Star Classic in San Diego, Calif, where the Gamecocks downed George Washington and host San Diego State in double overtime to win the title. Leading scorer and rebounder, Joe Rhett, earned MVP honors. The school had its first-ever SEC games in back-to-back outings over Tennessee and Georgia at home. The latter came in a thrilling, 71-69 game before an overflow crowd of 12,555. The home regular-season play finished with an impressive 77-68 victory over Vanderbilt on senior day. The 1992-93 season began with a 95-85 win at Tennessee and after 7 games in the SEC had a winning 4-3 ledger. Included in that span were home wins over Ole Miss and Georgia and another road victory at Florida. Newton recruited forward Emmett Hall, who went on to play in the CBA and coached swingman Jamie Watson, who played for the Utah Jazz and Jo Jo English, who played in the CBA and 2 years with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Newton had an overall record of 20-35 during his tenure at South Carolina.
Newton was named the new Assistant Athletics Director at the University of South Carolina at the end of the 1992 season by Athletics Director, Mike McGee.
He was recognized by the Gamecock Athletics Department at the 100 years of Carolina Basketball celebration on February 23, 2008
on April 13, 1995. He retired in 2001 and his Assistant A.D., John Mark Hall, was hired as his successor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He was head men's coach at Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
from 1985 to 1991 and at University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
from 1991–1993. A native of Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, he was a player at Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
from 1960–1963.
Assistant coaching
After coaching at two IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
high schools, Newton served as an assistant coach under Ron Greene
Ron Greene
Ron Greene is an American basketball coach who served as head coach of three Division I college basketball teams, as well as teams in Division II, the World Basketball League, the American Basketball Association, and high school.-Early career:Greene's coaching career began in 1965 where he was an...
at University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
, Mississippi State and Murray State from 1969–1985. In 1972 he helped lead New Orleans to the Associated Press Division II national championship.
Murray State
Steve Newton was named head basketball coach at Murray State University in 1985 by President Kala Stroup, the Board of Trustees and Athletics Director, Johnny ReaganJohnny Reagan
Johnny Reagan is a former American college baseball coach. In 36 years as head coach of the Murray State Thoroughbreds, Reagan amassed a record of 776-508-11, including 11 Ohio Valley Conference championships...
. In six seasons as the Racers head coach, Newton had an overall record of 116-65 (64%), a Conference mark of 43-7 (86%) and won four Ohio Valley Conference regular season and three OVC Tournament titles. Newton became only the second coach in OVC history to lead his team to four consecutive league titles. Only western Kentucky's E.A. Diddle had ever won or shared four straight OVC championships, from 1953-57. The Racers during Newton's tenure earned three NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances and one NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
appearance. The high point of his career at Murray State came on March 18, 1988 when the Racers defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack 78-75 in the first round of the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
. It was Murray State's first Tournament victory. Murray State would lose to eventual national champion Kansas by three points in the second round; that game was KU's closest in route to the championship.
At the 1988 NCAA Basketball Coaches Convention, Newton was awarded the 1987-88 Kodak Basketball District 7 Coach of the Year in Division 1.He was named OVC Coach of the Year twice (1988, 1990) and recruited and coached 15 All-OVC and four OVC Player of the Year selections, including Racer great Ron "Popeye" Jones.
Newton was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame in Nashville,TN on June 1, 2007.
On February 6, 2010, Newton was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in Murray Ky.
South Carolina
Newton was named the South Carolina GamecocksSouth Carolina Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the "Gamecocks". The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his...
head basketball coach on July 11, 1991. He coached the inaugural Southeastern Conference game for the Gamecocks on January 4, 1992 against the University of Kentucky. Highlights of the year 1991-92 included the Texaco Star Classic in San Diego, Calif, where the Gamecocks downed George Washington and host San Diego State in double overtime to win the title. Leading scorer and rebounder, Joe Rhett, earned MVP honors. The school had its first-ever SEC games in back-to-back outings over Tennessee and Georgia at home. The latter came in a thrilling, 71-69 game before an overflow crowd of 12,555. The home regular-season play finished with an impressive 77-68 victory over Vanderbilt on senior day. The 1992-93 season began with a 95-85 win at Tennessee and after 7 games in the SEC had a winning 4-3 ledger. Included in that span were home wins over Ole Miss and Georgia and another road victory at Florida. Newton recruited forward Emmett Hall, who went on to play in the CBA and coached swingman Jamie Watson, who played for the Utah Jazz and Jo Jo English, who played in the CBA and 2 years with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Newton had an overall record of 20-35 during his tenure at South Carolina.
Newton was named the new Assistant Athletics Director at the University of South Carolina at the end of the 1992 season by Athletics Director, Mike McGee.
He was recognized by the Gamecock Athletics Department at the 100 years of Carolina Basketball celebration on February 23, 2008
Administrative work
After two years as the assistant athletics director at South Carolina, he was hired by President H. Ray Hoops of the University of Southern Indiana as Athletics Director at University of Southern IndianaUniversity of Southern Indiana
The University of Southern Indiana is a public university in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. This publicly funded institution has been among the fastest growingcomprehensive state universities in Indiana. Record fall enrollment in 2010 reached 10,702...
on April 13, 1995. He retired in 2001 and his Assistant A.D., John Mark Hall, was hired as his successor.