Sam Newman enters his fourth season as the assistant men's basketball coach for the Choctaws. He joined Head Coach Randy Bolden’s staff in August of 2021. Newman's primary responsibilities include recruiting, preparing scouting reports for upcoming opponents, player development, and supporting student-athletes academically. He has played a crucial role in signing 15 players in the 2022 class and 13 in the 2023 class.
A Minnesota native, Newman arrived in Clinton after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant coach at Florida State from 2019-21 under future Hall of Fame head coach Leonard Hamilton. While in Tallahassee, Newman focused primarily on on-court player development and creating scouting reports on opposing teams' tendencies. During his tenure at FSU, the Seminoles produced seven NBA draft picks, including Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls), Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs), Trent Forrest (Atlanta Hawks), Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Raiquan Gray (Brooklyn Nets), Balsa Koprivica (Detroit Pistons), and MJ Walker (New York Knicks). Newman was also part of the Seminoles' 2020 ACC Regular Season Championship team and the 2021 Sweet Sixteen run in Indianapolis.
In addition to his other responsibilities at Mississippi College, Newman contributed significantly to the development of Rashad Bolden, who was named 1st Team All-GSC after an outstanding 2023-24 season. Rashad finished second in the country in scoring, averaging 24.5 points per game, and was also named to the NABC South All-District 2nd Team.
Newman graduated with a master's degree in sports management in May 2021. Before his time at Florida State, he served as a varsity assistant coach for two seasons under his father, a long-time head coach at Mahtomedi High School (MN). Newman earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from Bethel University (MN) in May 2019.
