Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – City High head coach Brennan Swayzer has been watching Jamari Newson on a basketball court long enough to know what makes the City High senior special.

For 10 years Swayzer has seen first-hand what Newson can do when he is at his absolute best.

“I’ve known Jamari since fifth grade,” Swayzer explained. “I’ve been coaching him since then and I know when he is at his best and when he is settling.”

Swayzer has never seen Newson better than the senior guard has been to start his senior season.

A strong start from Newson has City High off to a 3-1 start to the season, its best start since 2013 and has the Little Hawks looking for its first winning season since 2015.

Newson has been at the center of the early-season success for City High and is coming off perhaps the best game of his four-year varsity career on Tuesday in a 69-66 win over Dubuque Hempstead.

The 6-foot-2 guard had 26 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in the win over the Mustangs hitting 9-of-15 field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers and going 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

“We just have to stick to the process,” Newson said. “We can’t think we are bigger than one game we just have to keep taking it one game by one game and we’ll be fine.”

The 26-point outburst was already the second 20-point game this season for Newson who is in his third season in the City High starting lineup.

“He has gotten better at knowing when he has to go make it happen for his team but also staying in better control of his emotions,” Swayzer said. “He used to let the little stuff bother him like if they called a foul or they didn’t call a foul or he didn’t get a shot and he started understanding what is important and what’s not and just maturing all the way around.”

Newson started as a sophomore but had his breakthrough a year ago averaging career-highs with 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals in a Covid-shortened junior season.

This season Newson is prepped to take those numbers and his game to another level.

“I learned a lot, I learned to understand things and comprehend things before I go out on the court and do it,” Newson said. “I think my pace has really improved. I used to be one motion and now I feel like I can control it a lot more. Just getting my teammates in the right spots as a senior I feel like that’s my job to do and I think I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with that.”

A two-way starter for the City High football team that reached the Class 5A state semifinals Newson got a little bit of a later start to his final basketball season but came in with extra confidence after a stellar football season.

Newson is also bigger and stronger than he was during his first two seasons as a varsity starter.

“This football season coach (Mitch) Moore really taught us about preparation,” Newson said. “I knew about preparation but not as much and you really have to take that serious. Putting the right stuff in your body and preparing for games has really put me in a good spot.”

Early this season Swayzer has seen a different version of Newson on the basketball court.

A more confident, more experienced leader who still has the athletic ability to take over a game.

“Nine out of 10 times he is the better athlete than the other guy so when he doesn’t settle and he puts pressure on that rim he is almost unstoppable,” Swayzer said. “That’s what we’ve been preaching to him since day one is come in and play like this is your gym. He’s been a four-year varsity guy and he knows what has to happen and I feel good when the ball is in his hands.”

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