
- Name
- Roger Newman
- Position
- Forward-Guard
- Class
- SR
- Hometown (Last School)
- Greenville, KY (High)
- Ht
- 6'4"
- Wt
- 190
- Seasons
- 1960-61
- Birthday
- May 4, 1938
From the 1961 University of Kentucky Media Guide:
A 6-4 former unanimous All-Stater from Greenville, Kentucky, Newman will be playing his first and final varsity season with the Wildcats this year due to absences and quirks of eligibility rules. He was to have been Kentucky’s “secret weapon” against Georgia Tech in the crucial closing days of the 1959-60 campaign, but never got to play as SEC Commissioner Bernie Moore interpreted rules barring outside competition as covering Newman even though the outside play came before he was a team member. Coach Rupp had spotted Newman in a game played by the Lexington YMCA team against the UK freshmen and, needing a replacement for ailing star Bill Lickert, invited Newman to rejoin the Wildcats. Newman had been considered a fine prospect as a UK freshman in 1956-57, standing second in scoring with a 16.1 average and turning a solid job of rebounding. After his freshman season, he ran into scholastic difficulties and quit the team. During the next two and one-half years, he cleared up his academic troubles and held down a good-paying job in Lexington. His only basketball competition was with the local YMCA team, but that was enough to cost him a chance to play last season after he rejoined the Wildcats in mid-January. The ruling probably cost UK the Georgia Tech game and possibly the SEC title. Newman had stepped into Lickert’s forward spot with ease and familiarity. Although ineligible the rest of the season, Roger continued to show up well with a variety of shots, excellent speed, good ball handling, sticky defensive work, and toughness on the boards. He’ll be a prime candidate to team with Lickert as a starting forward this year. As a schoolboy standout at Greenville High, Newman was a deadly jump shot artist and reckless driver with a 26-point average in his senior year. Coached by Ben Topmiller, he played in several all-star games and captained the Kentuckians in the 1956 Kentucky-Indiana game.
