9-Year-old varsity player wants to play for UCONN

[Zorro]

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You ARE aware, of course, that that entire adventure was filmed in the Sahara, no?

 

[meyers7]

hell will surely freeze over.

Well it's gonna feel a bit like that around here (NE) tonight.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Since we'll be following Jaden for the next, oh, 7 years until she makes a college choice, I thought I'd update her progress as a 10-year-old. She's averaging a mere 31 points, 10 assists, and 6 steals at Downey Christian. And she just took on NBA star Stephen Curry in a 3-pt contest. I won't give away who won.

 

[Shenandoah]

MY question is, who is up next in the SEC to make a complaint about this?

 

[VAMike23]

Since we'll be following Jaden for the next, oh, 7 years until she makes a college choice, I thought I'd update her progress as a 10-year-old. She's averaging a mere 31 points, 10 assists, and 6 steals at Downey Christian. And she just took on NBA star Stephen Curry in a 3-pt contest. I won't give away who won.

OK, so it's not (yet) a jump shot

But my, that girl can shoot!

 

[j66kicker]

MY question is, who is up next in the SEC to make a complaint about this?

This is so egregious we should prolly just go ahead and self-report, self-penalize, remove ourselves from post-season play in 2024

 

[Zorro]

It's a natural. MoJet hands off to Danger, Danger hands off to Mo-ne, Mo-ne hands off to Jaden. I like it.

 

[Vowelguy]

4' 7" Jaden Newman, 9, who averages 15 points a game for the Downy Christian High School varsity team, "...wants to be like Diana Taurasi," said dad Jamie Newman, who serves as the head coach for the Downey Christian boys' and girls' varsity teams. "She wants to play for her country, for Connecticut and in the WNBA."

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-comme...asketball-downey-christian-school-orlando-fla

Am I the only one wondering why on earth is a 9 year old playing varsity? Even if she has the skills, I'd doubt she's physically ready.

 

[HGN]

If she doesn't change her mind over the next 7-8 years , she will be a great player for UConn if she keeps developing. The Jaden 'jumper' may then have been perfected.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Well, she's already being recruited down there by Miami. She actually was on the varsity as an 8-year-old, though it took another year of development before she really hit the news. Downey Christian has 300 students from kindergarten through 12th, so pickings for teams aren't huge, and at 4' 9" as a 9-year-old, she didn't look hugely smaller than some of the other players in this league. And she looks a lot more skilled than most of the other players on the court from what you see on the videos.

 

[dtbtbtb]

It's a natural. MoJet hands off to Danger, Danger hands off to Mo-ne, Mo-ne hands off to Jaden. I like it.

My concern is that our PG's (current and potential) are shrinking from 5'7" to 5'5" to 5'3" to 4'7"

 

[j66kicker]

My concern is that our PG's (current and potential) are shrinking from 5'7" to 5'5" to 5'3" to 4'7"

Jaden is every bit of 4'9"

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Am I the only one wondering why on earth is a 9 year old playing varsity? Even if she has the skills, I'd doubt she's physically ready.

She's averaging 30 points and 10 assists.

That would be why.

 

[Vowelguy]

She's averaging 30 points and 10 assists.

That would be why.

Again skills are not the issue. But how long before a defender getting torched decides to put the 9-yr on her ass? And how much damage could that do?

In CT, I think you have to be in 9th grade to play HS sports. I think the absolute minimum should be 7th grade.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Again skills are not the issue. But how long before a defender getting torched decides to put the 9-yr on her ass? And how much damage could that do?

I see your point but can't imagine a 14-17 year-old girl trying to clobber a tiny 10-year-old. Instinctively, I think they'd just know they can't. Besides, how embarrassing would it be to do such a thing? Now, getting fallen on might be a concern if I were her parents.

I don't know what you do with a talent like that. She can't play against kids her own age, it would be a joke.

 

[Vowelguy]

I see your point but can't imagine a 14-17 year-old girl trying to clobber a tiny 10-year-old.

Why not?
If she's playing varsity, then she's gotta be treated like any other varsity player. We're not talking JV or the Frosh team.

So if they're playing a state championship game and the 10-yr old has a break away layup, the defender shouldn't try to chase her down and prevent her from scoring because she's 10, even though the defender would do so to any other player?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Why not?
If she's playing varsity, then she's gotta be treated like any other varsity player. We're not talking JV or the Frosh team.

I don't watch a ton of HS games but I've seen my share. I don't recall a lot of physical contact with the exception of some loose ball scrums around the basket, a situation Newman is unlikely to be a part of.

So if they're playing a state championship game and the 10-yr old has a break away layup, the defender shouldn't try to chase her down and prevent her from scoring because she's 10, even though the defender would do so to any other player?

I didn't say that, but you make it sound like the only way to prevent such a thing is a wrestling-style takedown. I would think Newman gets fouled and knocked to the floor at least occasionally. I don't see any girl really leveling her intentionally though. Some things you just know are wrong and, yes, maybe it leads to her being played a bit differently than others for a few years. And if so, big deal, it's just kids playing basketball.

 

[Zorro]

I don't think getting knocked on her little ass would probably be that bad. She only weighs about 35 pounds. And MoJet gets knocked on her ass all the time and it doesn't seem to bother her much.

 

[Vowelguy]

I don't think getting knocked on her little ass would probably be that bad. She only weighs about 35 pounds. And MoJet gets knocked on her ass all the time and it doesn't seem to bother her much.

MoJet is little but is a grown-up, and surely has spent some time in the weight room. And at least the soft spots on her head have closed up.

On the plus side, if the 9-yr old gets popped in the mouth, at least she can just wait for her adult teeth to come in.

 

[j66kicker]

She's averaging 30 points and 10 assists.

That would be why.

And she can beat Stephen Curry in a 3 point shooting contest

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yeah, and DT shouldn't have played against the older big guys as a youngster because they were a whole lot bigger than the girls that Jaden plays against, plus she had a smart-a mouth that invited retribution.

Somehow don't think this is the Hunger Games league that Downey Christian plays in, and maybe that the opponents are storing up memories about playing against a future superstar rather than wanting to pound her. Certainly in the running world there are very young phenoms, and the older girls rather than getting mean about it are just gaga over the chance to run against a future national or world champion. And lest you think basketball is chippier than track\cross country, not necessarily.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Am I the only one wondering why on earth is a 9 year old playing varsity? Even if she has the skills, I'd doubt she's physically ready.

Thought vowelguy's post was as good a one to quote as any for this update.

Jaden Newman scored 57 points in the season opener. She's up to a ripe old 10 years of age.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-l...an-drops-57-points-varsity-team-season-opener

 

[jdubct]

Thought vowelguy's post was as good a one to quote as any for this update.

Jaden Newman scored 57 points in the season opener. She's up to a ripe old 10 years of age.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-l...an-drops-57-points-varsity-team-season-opener

Imagine how good she's going to be when she's 11.

 

[UcMiami]

Before anyone gets too crazy about this - the school currently has 213 students spread between kindergarten and 12 grade. There are a total of 55 students in grades 9-12 so an average of 14 per grade and it is coed, so if it is evenly distributed that would be seven girls per grade. To field a 10 player basketball team from HS students alone you would need a participation rate of 36% of the students! No wonder they are trolling the other grades for anyone who wants to bounce a basketball. Given the school size and the fact that they are non-affiliated, I suspect the competition they are playing against is similarly miniature private schools.
That said, anyone that can put the ball in the basket at that rate at that age is pretty impressive against any competition.

 

[reno tony]

Nice video has interviews with Jaden, her brother, parents and friends.