Josh Newkirk is a basketball player from Raleigh, N.C. who played for Indiana University. Newkirk was a point guard for the Hoosiers for two seasons from 2016-2018. He previously played for the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Indiana. The Raleigh native played high school basketball for Word of God Christian Academy where he won 68 games and a state championship. After playing for Indiana, Newkirk played in the NBA G-League and then the Czech Republic National Basketball League for the 2019-2020 season.
Newkirk played high school basketball for Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C.. He led the Holy Rams in scoring with 15.2 points per game during his junior season. The next season Newkirk helped his team to a 25-2 overall record and the NCISAA Class 1A state championship. Newkirk’s team defeated Fayetteville Trinity Christian 75-68 in the title game.
Newkirk aided WOGCA to a 68-14 record during his high school career. The 2013 graduate was ranked as a 3-star recruit and in the top-10 amongst point guards according to 247Sports. He played for the D One Sports Academy in North Carolina on the AAU circuit. Former number one overall pick and current NBA point guard John Wall played for both WOGCA and D One Sports Academy.
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 34 | 32 | 955 | 114 | 260 | 0.438 | 79 | 168 | 0.470 | 35 | 92 | 0.380 | 44 | 63 | 0.698 | 23 | 82 | 105 | 108 | 19 | 7 | 76 | 99 | 307 |
| 2017-18 | 31 | 24 | 721 | 73 | 193 | 0.378 | 44 | 98 | 0.449 | 29 | 95 | 0.305 | 46 | 57 | 0.807 | 12 | 53 | 65 | 86 | 15 | 8 | 57 | 56 | 221 |
| IU Career | 65 | 56 | 1676 | 187 | 453 | 0.413 | 123 | 266 | 0.462 | 64 | 187 | 0.342 | 90 | 120 | 0.750 | 35 | 135 | 170 | 194 | 34 | 15 | 133 | 155 | 528 |
Newkirk played at the University of Pittsburgh from 2013-2015 before transferring to Indiana University. The former Panther averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 41% from the field. He played in 70 games at Pitt before undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee on May 6, 2015.
The Raleigh native transferred to Indiana before the 2015-2016 season and sat out the entire year per NCAA transfer rules. He returned to play the next season as a redshirt junior after the Hoosiers were coming off a Big Ten championship and Sweet 16 appearance. Newkirk added much needed depth at the guard position as former Hoosier Yogi Ferrell finished his collegiate career.
Newkirk averaged a career high 9.0 points and 3.2 assists per game in his first season with the Hoosiers under former coach Tom Crean. He led the team with 108 assists and recorded a career-high 27 points in a three-overtime contest against Penn State.
Indiana started the 2016-2017 campaign ranked 11th in the country and picked up statement wins against Kansas and North Carolina. Newkirk tallied a combined 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds in those contests. However, the Hoosiers lost eight of their final 11 games on the season and suffered a first round NIT loss to Georgia Tech.
Newkirk played in the first year of the Archie Miller era at Indiana after Miller was hired after Crean’s firing. He averaged 7.1 points per game and once again led the team with 86 assists.
The Hoosiers had an up-and-down season finishing with a 16-15 record and falling to Rutgers in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Newkirk recorded 528 points, 194 assists and 170 rebounds in his tenure at Indiana. He played in 65 games while starting in 56 of those and tallied 1676 minutes on the court.
After going undrafted, Newkirk spent time in the NBA G-League playing for the Long Island Nets and the Texas Legends. He played in 35 games during the 2018-2019 season and averaged 10.7 minutes per game.
As of the 2019-2020 season, Newkirk is playing overseas for Nova Hut Ostrava in the Czech Republic National Basketball League. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds during the season.
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Contributor: Andrew Rude