Sept. 22, 1997
ASU Appoints Don Newman as Interim Basketball Coach
Tempe, Ariz. --The Arizona State University men's basketball program has appointed assistant coach Don Newman as the interim head coach for the 1997-98 season, effective immediately.
"I am very confident that Don Newman can lead us through this season and have a positive impact on our student-athletes," said Dr. Kevin White, Athletic Director at Arizona State. "We have two main priorities for our program, and that is to secure the very best head coach for the long run, with a search beginning in January, and at the same time provide our current team members with both great support and a positive environment. Don's background with student-athletes, his work as an assistant coach and his effort leading California State Sacramento to Division I status will indeed serve him well. Again, we must keep in our plans the best interests our current student-athletes while we focus on rebuilding this program.
"Our main objective for this basketball season is to give our student-athletes the best chance to succeed in 1997-98, and we feel Don Newman is the best person for that job at this time."
Newman, 39, was the head basketball coach at California State Sacramento from 1992-97, leading the school's growing stage from Division II to Division I. Previous to Sacramento, Newman spent five seasons with Kelvin Sampson at Washington State (1988-92) and served as the recruiting coordinator for the Cougars. He also served as a graduate assistant at Washington State.
Newman helped Washington State post back-to-back winning seasons in his final two years, a feat unmatched in Pullman since 1982-83. The Cougars went 22-11 in 1991-92 and reached the second round of the preseason NIT and also reached the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1993-94. The Cougars went 7-22 and 1-17 in the Pacific-10 Conference in 1989-90 before beginning a streak of six straight winning seasons. Newman was 20-114 at California State Sacramento as the program played a terribly demanding schedule in its maturation process as it transitioned to the Division I level.
"I will make the most out of the opportunity that has been given to me," says Newman. "I have experienced some very challenging times as a coach, both in helping build the Washington State program and in taking the California State Sacramento program into the Division I level. The transition period at Cal State Sacramento was a tremendous learning experience. I knew when the program made a commitment to Division I status we would be far from winning, but we played an ambitious schedule that featured many top programs. "
A firm proponent of the student-athlete concept with a total commitment to the overall educational experience of the players, Newman helped create the basketball academic support program at Washington State.
A native of Louisiana, Newman played at Louisiana State as a freshman before transferring to Idaho. He was a member of the Big Sky All-Conference team and was taken in the third round of the NBA Draft by Boston in 1980. Newman also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League from 1981-86 and earned roster spots with the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks. He also coached at both Moscow and Lewiston High Schools
Newman received his Master of Education Degree from Washington State in 1989 and his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a coaching minor from the University of Idaho in 1987. Don and his wife Linda have two children, Chandi and Devan. Newman replaced George McQuarn, who retired after eight seasons with the Sun Devils, this summer as an assistant coach.