Newton creates lasting memory with shot

CORAL GABLES — There was a point this season when Ja’Quan Newton — the only senior on the Miami Hurricanes roster that has logged significant playing playing time — was coming off the bench.

He struggled offensively and his younger teammates were making plays, and headlines, for Miami during a tumultuous season that had the Hurricanes rise as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 before a spate of losses in ACC play knocked them out of the rankings.

It wasn’t exactly the senior year Newton — once touted as one of the top sixth men in the nation as a youngster in Coral Gables — had expected.

Then magic came on Wednesday night in North Carolina.

Seconds after the Tar Heels battled back to tie a crucial conference game the Hurricanes needed to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume with 4.1 seconds left, Newton ran across midcourt and let a shot fly just before the buzzer sounded.

The ball sailed through the net, officials determined the shot had gotten off in time and Newton — with a smile on his face — quickly found himself under a pile of Miami teammates who’d mobbed him on the court as a stunned crowd at the Smith Center watched in disbelief.

For Newton, who will be honored along with fellow seniors Mike Robinson and Chris Stowell ahead of today’s regular-season finale against Virginia Tech, it was a moment to savor long after the game ended.

“I feel like I’ve had an up-and-down season. In the beginning, it was good. Then I went into a slump,” said Newton, who prior to Wednesday’s game-winner had been just 4 of 24 from 3-point range. “But I kept working. I think I got out of it and I’ve been playing well the past couple days. I came off the bench a little bit, but I never got down on myself. I just kept working and for me to hit that shot, I think it was a great season.”

Added Miami coach Jim Larrañaga, “I immediately told him after the game, ‘That’s a shot you’re going to remember the rest of your life. Those are memories that do last a lifetime. … He has, I think, experienced all the ups and downs that you do during the course of your career and he’s been able to manage those well enough now that his young teammates are more experienced. They’re enjoying more success together, so I’m really, really proud of him. … When he moved back into the starting lineup, he was smiling a lot more. He seemed a lot happier and obviously, the results have been very, very positive.”

Both Newton and the Hurricanes hope, now, all of this is something to build on as Miami closes out the regular season and moves into ACC Tournament play and beyond.

While they’ll continue working to improve their seeding in the NCAA Tournament against Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes — winners of three in a row — aren’t quite considered a bubble team anymore. Every expectation is that they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament and Newton — who played on Miami’s Sweet 16 team two years ago — wants to be able to continue contributing.

Entering Saturday’s game, the senior is averaging 8.7 points and is one of just five players in Miami program history to total more than 1,100 points and 300 assists.

The Hurricanes (21-8, 10-7) will need another strong performance from Newton and his teammates if they want to extend their winning streak.

The Hokies (21-9, 10-7) are coming off their own impressive victory over a Tobacco Road power, upsetting fifth-ranked Duke, 64-63, on Monday. That marked the Hokies fourth win over a top-15 team this season and prompted Larrañaga to heap plenty of praise on Tech, which he described as a team that is playing with “reckless abandon.”

For his part, Newton just wants his final game at the Watsco Center to give him another memory to take with him once his Miami career is done.

“It went by so fast,” he said. “I tell the freshmen, cherish every moment because it really does go by really fast. Really fast. … I’m happy overall. It’s my last game and for me to hit that shot and then come home to the fans, I’m excited. … I grew up as a person, I grew up as a man, I got better on and off the court and overall, my journey has been great.”

Newton