MSU's Vivians, Newman Named To Wooden Award Watch Lists
November 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State sophomore Victoria Vivians and freshman Malik Newman are both candidates for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Vivians was named to the John R. Wooden Award Women's Preseason Top 30 Watch List, while Newman was named to the Men's Preseason Top 50.
Mississippi State is one of only nine schools in the nation, including one of just two SEC programs, to boast candidates on each list.
Vivians was one of seven league players named to the women's watch list, while Newman joined six other SEC players on the men's list.
Vivians, a First Team Preseason All-SEC selection, earned the honor following a stellar freshman campaign that saw her average an SEC third-most 14.9 ppg en route to claiming second team all-league accolades and Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention honors.
The Carthage, Mississippi, native scored eight points in MSU's season-opening 68-47 win against Samford. The win propelled State to a No. 10 ranking in Monday's AP poll, the second Top 10 rating in program history, and the No. 11 spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Vivians also claimed 5.0 rebounds per contest to go along with 1.0 assists and 1.4 steals. She set an MSU freshman record with 39 points at Kentucky last season, and she capped the year with a 15-point effort at Duke in the NCAA Tournament second round, giving her a 17.5 scoring average against ranked foes.
Newman enters his first season at Mississippi State after a standout high school career that saw him become a McDonald's All-American and be ranked the No. 1 shooting guard in the country by ESPN. The Jackson, Mississippi, native made his Bulldog debut against Southern on Nov. 16, tallying 6 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds.
Regarded as one of the top high school recruits in the 2015 class, Newman enjoyed a vastly successful high school career at Callaway High School, where he led the Chargers to four Class 5A state championships. Newman was twice named Mr. Basketball in the state of Mississippi and was earned a spot on the Clarion Ledger's Dandy Dozen team three times. Callaway retired Newman's jersey earlier this spring.
Newman was also a force on the national scale, competing on the USA team that captured the 2014 FIBA U17 championship with a 99-72 win against Australia. The Bulldog freshman led the way for the Americans, earning MVP honors after scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Newman also won a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA U16 Championship and earned MVP honors there as well after averaging 16.2 points and collecting 16 steals in five games.
Vivians and the rest of Hail State Hoops return to action Nov. 21, hosting Samford at 1 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Ben Howland's Bulldogs head to the Puerto Rico Tipoff, where they face Miami (Fla.) on Thursday. State meets Texas Tech or Utah on Friday before wrapping the tournament on Sunday.
