Prospect Profile: Tyler Newsom (2019 Pendleton HS)
Players from the Eastern part of the state don’t often get a lot of buzz and can be overlooked. In the case of Tyler Newsom, that seems to be the case. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing showed some bounce to his step and some skills from the perimeter during the PrepHoops Top 250 Expo and he’s hopeful it will attract some college recruiting attention on to Pendleton this season.
In addition to being from Eastern Oregon, Newsom has flown a bit under the radar because he didn’t play much on the AAU circuit. He played some with Team Fly in the spring but some family issues needed his attention during the summer. While he may not have been playing, Newsom did continue to work out on his own to improve his game.
“I worked on my defense,” Newsom said. “Last year my one-on-one defense wasn’t so good, so I had to get faster and do some weight training. (In July) I was lifting and gained some weight and my vertical went up.”
While Newsom certainly caught the attention of observers and college coaches at the Expo, his recruitment remains fairly quiet. He is hopeful to garner some attention this year and has a goal in mind.
“I prefer D-II at least,” Newsome said. “I think I can play at that level. I’ll play anywhere but I like California.”
A big senior season will definitely help and Newsom is prepared to shine not only individually, but toward Pendelton’s team success as well. “We have some good underclassmen so I think we’ll go far at state this year,” he said.
Newsom currently ranks as the #30 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.