Woody Newton had a career night for Oklahoma State. His late father knew it was coming.
STILLWATER — Atwood Newton Sr. always believed this season was going to be different for his son.
“This is going to be his year,” Newton often told his wife, Linda.
Woody Newton was unaware of the unwavering belief from his father.
Atwood died on Nov. 10. It was up to Linda to pass along the message.
Woody thought of the faith his father had all day Wednesday. He wanted to talk to him, share some good news.
He knew Atwood would be proud.
Woody made his first-career start in Wednesday’s 72-56 Bedlam win and played the best game of his career. And the 6-foot-9 junior did it for his father.
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“I just took that to heart,” Woody said about his dad’s belief. “He was saying that, so I gotta make that come true.”
Newton found out he would be starting during the Cowboys’ shootaround Wednesday. He was inserted into the starting five for the Cowboys’ play designed to open the game.
His emotions were high.
He delivered with a career-high 12 points, making the opening 3 of the second half and then delivering the dagger trey late in the game.
“That’s another dream, just put them away,” Newton said. “That’s one of the biggest shots of my career.”
Newton, who transferred from Syracuse before last season, has been building to this moment.
It’s just taken a little longer than he anticipated.
Last season, his role was limited as he adjusted to the Cowboys. This season, he’s more comfortable in his skillset. He gives the Cowboys a huge stretch option when they host No. 12 Iowa State at 1 p.m. Saturday.
More:Oklahoma State men's basketball roars past OU in second half to win Round 1 of Bedlam
“Our staff has done a really good job sticking with him,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said. “There’s been some frustrating times because we know he has more in him. Obviously, he’s been through a lot personally.
“I think at this point now he’s trying to enjoy the process a little bit more and not worried what’s going to happen a year from now, five years from now.”
Losing a father can have that impact.
Atwood was the reason Woody began playing basketball as a young child in Washington D.C.
Atwood and Woody’s older nephew often took him to NFL and NBA games.
Woody fell in love with sports. Then he grew into a basketball star at Mt. Zion (Maryland) Prep.
“Without my father and my nephew, I wouldn’t play sports,” Woody said.
He wouldn’t be in the starting lineup for the Cowboys.
Making the leap to a bigger role couldn’t come at a better time for both OSU and Newton. His presence in the starting five stretched the floor for an offense that has been bogged down.
And Newton took a step forward that his father knew was coming.
“My time is finally here,” Newton said.
Here is a look back at the week:
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Top two players this season
Moussa Cisse: The Cowboys’ most dynamic player played just 2 minutes and received a standing ovation this week, his first action in more than two weeks after suffering an ankle injury. The 7-foot-1 junior still leads the Big 12 in blocks and rebounds per game. He also made an immediate impact Wednesday, forcing OU’s Jalen Hill into a traveling violation near the rim on his first defensive trip. There remains no player more vital to the Cowboys’ success than Cisse.
Kalib Boone: Boone was very limited in the loss at Baylor, failing to score until 3 minutes remained in the game. Then, he scored eight points. Foul trouble was a big issue on top of the lopsided result. But the Tulsa Memorial graduate rebounded against the Sooners, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds in possibly his final home Bedlam matchup. Boone has averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in six Big 12 games.
More:Kalib Boone is finding consistency for Oklahoma State basketball, but he's 'gotta be more'
Top player this week
Avery Anderson III: The Cowboys’ senior guard had back-to-back games scoring in double figures for the first time since early December. He also had eight assists and he played dynamic defense, particularly in the Bedlam win. But perhaps his biggest stat is the lack of turnovers. Anderson had just one in two games. He’s had just four in the past four games.
More:Oklahoma State basketball is going 'back to the drawing board' after blowout loss at Baylor
Player on the rise
Newton: Armed with the ability to stretch the floor more like a guard, Newton’s minutes have consistently increased throughout Big 12 play. He even made his first-career start in Bedlam and had a career night. But he’s played improved defense and has been a strong rebounder, with 11 in the past two games.
Updated bracketology
The Cowboys are now on the outside of NCAA Tournament projections.
Entering Friday, they were the final team in the “Next Four Out” category of ESPN’s Bracketology, a slight improvement from just being a team under consideration.
The simple way to change that is to win. With No. 12-ranked Iowa State and No. 7 Texas coming up next, the Cowboys can make a serious move.
They still project well in the metrics, ranking No. 45 in the NCAA N.E.T. Rankings, an 11-spot jump following the Bedlam win. OSU is also No. 34 in KenPom.com rankings.
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The curious case of the broken treadmill
Each practice, the Cowboys have treadmills near the court. One in particular is hell.
That machine is running at 15 mph, awaiting an OSU player who commits a turnover. The player then runs at that speed for 1 full minute.
“It’s just humming the whole practice,” Newton said while shaking his head. “It’s ridiculous.”
The treadmill is widely hated so much that it’s suddenly broken. Boynton suspects foul play, but won’t name a suspect.
“We’ll just bring another one in here,” Boynton said. “Eventually, we’ll tell them that they can’t break enough treadmills that we can’t find somebody to pay for a new one for us, so they should probably stop turning the ball over.”
Possible sabotage aside, the Cowboys have cut down their turnovers in the past week.
They had 10 at Baylor, a positive in a dud of a game. But only seven in the Bedlam win, which is tied for the lowest total in a game since March 9, 2019, at West Virginia.
OSU still averages 14.4 turnovers per game, but perhaps the treadmill is making an impact.
“I think just by hearing that every day it transitions to the game,” Newton said. “That also contributes to more offense, more open shots for people. We’re not getting ourselves chances to make shots when we turn the ball over.”
As for who exactly broke the treadmill, nobody is talking.
But none of the players are complaining.
“If somebody broke it, God bless them,” Newton said. “God bless them.”
Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
OSU vs. Iowa State
TIPOFF: 1 p.m. Saturday at Gallager-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball: Woody Newton honors late father in Bedlam
