Jabs Newby

Jabulani "Jabs" Newby (born August 15, 1991) is a Jamaican-Canadian professional basketball player who last played for Círculo Gijón of the LEB Plata. Newby played college basketball for Eastern Kentucky University and Gannon.

Jabs Newby
Newby in 2017
Círculo Gijón
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLEB Plata
Personal information
Born (1991-08-15) August 15, 1991
Toronto, Ontario
NationalityCanadian / Jamaican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2014 / Undrafted
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014Saint John Mill Rats
2015Mississauga Power
2015–2016Saint John Mill Rats
2016–2017Saint John Riptide
2017Los Mochis
2017–2018Clavijo
2018Araberri
2018–2019La Roda
2019–2020UDEA Algeciras
2020–presentCírculo Gijón
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Newby initially competed at the high school level with St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School in his hometown of Brampton, Ontario.[1]

Newby played his junior and senior years of high school prep basketball under head coach Rob Fulford at Mountain State Academy in Beckley, West Virginia. As a junior, his team finished with a record of 29–7 and was considered one of the top-30 in the United States. In Newby's final season, he averaged 10 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, leading the Falcons to a 22–4 record in 2010.[2] Mountain State was ranked within the top-25 high school teams in the country by USA Today Sports.[3] He took part in the West Virginia State Scott Brown Memorial Classic All-Star Game and was ranked by ESPN as a two-star recruit and the 103rd best point guard of the Class of 2010.[3][4]

College career

Newby initially played college basketball at Eastern Kentucky of the NCAA Division I. After his sophomore year with the Colonels, he transferred to Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania and began playing at the Division II level.[3] The point guard said, "I decided to leave EKU to play on a team that was more up-tempo in terms of style of play and also to earn more playing time."[5] Before choosing to compete with Gannon, Newby was approached by many schools that had wanted him on their team coming out of high school. He made the decision because it was closer to his hometown and he was expected to immediately get playing time from coach John T. Reilly.[5] At Gannon, Newby averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 19.2 minutes per game. he shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from three-point range.[6]

Professional career
Newby with the Power in 2015

As a pro, Newby was drafted second overall to the Saint John Mill Rats in the 2014 NBL Canada draft.[7] On December 29, 2014, Newby was traded to the Mississauga Power for Alex Johnson.[2][3][8] He registered averages of 8.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game in a Mill Rats uniform.[9] In his debut with the Power, Newby scored a team-high 27 points, grabbed four rebounds and registered two assists, going 8-of-11 from the field and logging 36 minutes. Mississauga vice president of basketball operations John Wiggins said of his performance: "What's great about it is it's unbridled, he's just going out there and playing. Imagine what happens when A) he learns (head coach Kyle Julius') systems and the philosophies of what we're trying to do and B) just getting more time with the kid … By the time the playoffs come, he'll be ready."[1] In 18 games, Newby averaged 5.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and was named to the NBL All-Rookie Team.[10]

Over the summer of 2015, Newby traveled to Italy and participated in the ALLINSPORT Summer League. He won the league's slam dunk contest in late June and gained attention from his alma mater Gannon and the NBL Canada.[11][12] On October 31, Newby was acquired by the Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League following a successful tryout with the team.[13] However, he was waived on November 11 before the start of the season.[14] For the 2015–16 season, Newby signed back with the Saint John Mill Rats, marking his second season in the NBL Canada.[15]

In July 2020, Newby agreed terms with Spanish third-tier team Círculo Gijón.[16]

Personal life

Newby is the youngest of three siblings, with sister Sonya McKenzie and brother DeWayne Newby. Jabs' parents are Wilfried and Annie Riley.[17] Jabs majored in sports management while at Gannon University.[3]

Newby's full first name is Jabulani, which means "to bring happiness." His sister gave him the moniker "Jabs" when he was four years old because outsiders had trouble pronouncing his full name. Newby said, "I like my nickname a lot because it's short and sweet. I'm one of the few basketball players with a name like that. My name is memorable and nobody's going to forget about it."[18]

References
  1. Colpitts, Iain (8 January 2015). "Newby making an impact close to home". Brampton Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. "EKU Colonels Jabs Newby". EKUSports.com. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  3. "Jabs Newby Bio". GannonSports.com. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  4. "Jabs Newby". ESPN. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  5. "One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward: Jabs Newby Thriving at Gannon U". NorthPoleHoops.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  6. "Former Gannon Basketball Standout Jabs Newby Wins Slam Dunk Contest". Gannon University. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  7. "MILL RATS TAB ATHLETICISM IN 2014 NBL CANADA DRAFT". MillRatsBasketball.ca. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  8. "Power Acquire Jabs Newby for Alex Johnson". PowerBasketball.ca. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  9. Colpitts, Iain (30 December 2014). "Power make a deal with Saint John". The Mississauga News. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  10. Juzenas, Frank (22 April 2015). "NBL All-stars named". Brampton Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  11. "Former Gannon Basketball Standout Jabs Newby Wins Slam Dunk Contest (Video)". GannonSports.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  12. "NBL Canada on Twitter". Twitter. NBL Canada. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  13. "Raptors 905 Announces NBA D-League Draft Results, Training Camp". OurSportsCentral.com. October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  14. "Raptors 905 Announces Final Roster out of Training Camp". OurSportsCentral.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  15. "2015-2016 Windsor Express Roster". WindsorExpress.ca. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  16. "Primer Fichaje: Jabs Newby" [First sign: Jabs Newby] (in Spanish). Círculo Gijón. 27 July 2020.
  17. "EASTERN KENTUCKY Colonels (0-1) at WINTHROP (11/12) and PRESBYTERIAN (11/14)" (PDF). EKUSports.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  18. Eisenberg, Jeff. "The story behind 10 of college basketball's memorable names". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
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