Class of 2015 star Malik Newman is planning to publicly commit later this week to play basketball at Mississippi State, multiple sources told CBSSports.com on Wednesday.
The announcement is expected Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
Granted, this is high-stakes recruiting, and Newman could ultimately reverse course for any number of reasons -- and it should be noted that Kentucky coach John Calipari once actually flipped a recruit (Terrence Jones) after the recruit had already publicly committed to another school (Washington). So keep that in mind. Still, multiple sources -- including sources from multiple staffs involved in Newman's recruitment -- told CBSSports.com on Wednesday that they're now under the impression that Newman, a five-star prospect from Callaway High in Jackson, Miss., will enroll at Mississippi State.
Two coaches simply said Newman-to-Mississippi State is "done."
Another coach added: "We're still trying ... but I think MSU is the place."
247 Sports ranks Newman No. 5 in the Class of 2015.
The 6-foot-4 point guard is considered the nation's top prospect at his position.
DraftExpress.com projects Newman to be selected fourth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Newman's presumed commitment is a huge development for Ben Howland, the former UCLA coach who was hired at Mississippi State to replace Rick Ray last month. Other schools that have been seriously involved in Newman's recruitment, at one point or another, are Kentucky, Kansas, Ole Miss, LSU and North Carolina State. Newman's father, Horatio Webster, played at Mississippi State in the late 1990s.
