LAS VEGAS – Kobe Newton stepped into the bright spotlight at Mountain West basketball media day on Thursday.
 
After a dark winter in Laramie, the 6-foot-2 senior guard represented Wyoming along with forward Cole Henry and head coach Sundance Wicks at the event at Resorts World Las Vegas.
 
Newton's 2023-24 season was limited to 20 games due to a frightening health scare that left him hospitalized for 10 days in the middle of what turned out to be Jeff Linder's final campaign with the Cowboys.
 
Shortly after Akuel Kot hit a game-winning shot to beat Fresno State on Jan. 13, Newton was diagnosed with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in his right ankle.
 
"There was a lot of fear, there was a lot of anxiety for me," Newton said. "I was in the hospital for 10 days. I was away from my dog, I was away from my apartment, so it was really hard."
 
Newton said his girlfriend, teammates and Linder kept his spirits up during the recovery process when he initially feared part of his leg would be amputated. He returned to the lineup for the Border War game at Colorado State on March 2 and scored 14 points during the regular-season finale a week later at Fresno State.
 
"My teammates were really good to me. They showed up every day. Even Linder, he was showing up twice a day sometimes and sitting with me for an hour, two hours," Newton said. "I'm really appreciative of the support I had from not just the staff but the community of Wyoming. I was getting a lot of nice messages on Twitter and that was one of the things that made me want to stay.
 
"There is a genuine love and support outside of sports that you get from Wyoming fans that you can't take for granted."
 
Linder is close friends with Newton's junior college coach, Perry Webster, which led to recruiting the sharpshooter to UW from Fullerton College. When Linder left to become an assistant at Texas Tech this offseason, Newton didn't flinch in his commitment to the Cowboys.
 
But he wanted to meet with Wicks before closing the door to the portal for good.
 
"I told him, look, I just want to sit down face to face, man to man, see what we're about, see if we're about the same things. In our first meeting I was sold," Newton said. "He had called me over the phone but it's different over the phone. Everybody can kind of sell a persona over the phone, they can sell you what they want to hear over the phone but sitting down with him in person and getting to talk to him face to face was integral for me in making my decision to stay.
 
"I was already leaning towards staying because I didn't want to leave, I had no intentions of leaving, but sitting down with him reiterated my intentions."
 
Newton averaged 4.5 points off the bench last season, but he is UW's top returning scorer following the coaching change. Wicks and his staff signed 10 new players in 27 days to restock the roster.
 
Wicks will lean on the mature guard from Portland, Ore., to continue defending at a high level and making timely 3-pointers. Newton shot 49% behind the arc at UW after he made 170 3s over the previous two seasons at Fullerton.
 
"I think Kobe is on a redemption tour just from the standpoint of he didn't get to play all of the games he wanted to play last year," Wicks said. "For him personally you come to this level because you want to prove you're a guy that really belongs."
 
Newton will lead a physically gifted backcourt that includes transfers Obi Agbim, Dontaie Allen, Jordan Nesbitt and A.J. Willis. The ball handlers and shooters have made noticeable progress in getting in sync with the wings and big men over the last two weeks of practice.
 
Wicks wants to set the tone with physicality and the size and experience of 6-9 Henry, 6-9 Touko Tainamo, 6-10 Scottie Ebube and 7-0 Oleg Kojenets.
 
"We have a lot to prove in that backcourt so it's exciting when you get all those chips all on the same page and that hunger level just continues to rise," Newton said. "You see it in practice that we push each other and we're battling and competing. I'm excited to see what we can do."
 
Newton, Kojenets and redshirt freshman Nigle Cook are the only scholarship players back from last season, along with walk-ons Levi Brown and Cort Roberson.
 
"We need Kobe's consistency from being a Cowboy to shine through in a mature way and help our guys understand what Laradise is about, what the University of Wyoming is about," Wicks said. "That can pay dividends for us. I think Kobe is going to be one of those guys who can sacrifice and give us what we need to be successful."
 
The Cowboys host the College Idaho in an exhibition game on Oct. 25 and officially begin the Wicks era against Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 4 at the Arena-Auditorium.
 
Newton soaked up the opportunity to represent the program as the Wicks era begins.
 
"I'm just happy to be here. I would never imagine myself being here two years ago, especially coming from junior college," Newton said. "Everybody has a different journey and I'm glad mine continues to take me to great places."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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