The college basketball recruiting season is coming to an end and high school senior Malik Newman is one of the most coveted prospects in the country that has yet to sign with a team.
Newman has been heavily recruited for years by Mississippi State University, University of Kentucky, LSU and University of Kansas. Though MSU and Kentucky have been named throughout as the front runners for the top five prospect. 
So, which way will Newman lean? He has made it known from the very beginning that his dream is to be an NBA player and he wants to be a one-and-done player. He has also made it clear that he wants to run the point guard position in college, not shooting guard like in high school. Which team has the edge to gain Newman’s commitment?
Kentucky obviously has the advantage from the standpoint of getting players into the NBA quickly.  John Calipari, Kentucky head coach, has turned the Wildcats into an NBA player factory over the past few years. According to cbssports.com, Kentucky is already ranked as the top team going into next year because of the massive amount of talent that comes through the school. If Newman wants to possibly play for a championship in college Kentucky clearly gives him the best chance for achieving that goal. 
If Newman wants to play the point guard position in college though, Kentucky may not necessarily be the best place for him. Kentucky returns sophomore Tyler Ulis at the point guard position and the best point guard in high school, Isiah Briscoe, is signed to come in next season. There are only so many minutes that can be spread around. Briscoe and Newman played in the Nike Hoops Summit last weekend and Briscoe had one of the better performances in the scrimmage.  
Newman struggled to get much of a shot at running the offense and did not get much time on the court. At MSU, Newman would be the guy the second he walks on to campus. I.J. Ready is the incumbent at the point guard position and is not in the same class of talent as Newman. If Newman wants all the shots, and to be the man running the show then MSU is probably where he should be.
How much new MSU head coach Ben Howland affects this recruitment might be the largest wild card of all. Howland recruited big-time names at his time at UCLA, so he knows what it takes to bring in top players. He has coached NBA point guards before and knows what it takes to get guys to the next level. What Howland is having to overcome though is the time lost while he has not been around. Calipari and his staff have been recruiting Newman since day one, Howland took over about a month ago. In the world of recruiting that is almost no time at all to build a relationship and convince a player to come to your school.
It is of course impossible to determine what is truly important to an 18-year-old kid. Does he want college success and national television recognition, or does he want to stay close to his home in Jackson and be the main guy with ball in his hand at the end of games? 
Does he want to be just another cog in the machine at Kentucky or does he want to possibly start a strong basketball tradition at MSU with Howland? Only time will tell what will ultimately sway Newman’s opinion.