KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan senior guard David Kool is 28 points away from setting a new mark in career scoring. For the past 46 years, that record has been held by Gary (Ind.) Roosevelt graduate Manny Newsome. Newsome, a 5-9 guard, averaged 32.7 points per game during the 1963-64 season to finish his career with 1,787 points, 504 points more than the mark set by Edgar Blair in 1958-59.
Newsome has had a distinguished career in higher education since lighting up Mid-American Conference scoreboards in the 1960s. Dr. Emanuel Newsome is retired after 18 years as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla. Prior to moving to FAU in 1988, Newsome was dean of students at Toledo since 1981. Newsome earned his BS and MA from Western Michigan and his Ph.D from Indiana State.
WMUBroncos.com recently had a chance to talk to Manny Newsome about his career at Western Michigan.
Q: What was it like playing basketball at Western Michigan?
A: I played basketball year round and I was very skillful at the game. Basketball is basketball. I put a lot of time and effort into it, physically and mentally. We played a running style and scored a lot of points.
Q: Did you know when you broke the scoring record?
A: No, I didn't keep up with that. I didn't know anything about it. I didn't know when the record was broken or anything like that. I was so pre-occupied with trying to keep my head above water. That's not something you keep up with.
Q: Did you ever imagine your record would stand for 46 years?
A: I didn't think of anything like that. When you're a player you're not concerned about records and how long they will stand and that kind of thing. The only thing I was concerned with was doing the best at that time. That was it and everything else takes care of itself.
Q: How do you look back on the record as you get older?
A: As I said, I was a player who put a lot of time and effort into it and I didn't compare myself to anybody else. I did the best that I could do. When I look back at playing at Western Michigan I can say 'I did the best that I could do and that's it.' All of this other stuff about records and who played and how many years, that's for somebody else to talk about. I just had three years to play on the varsity level and tried to do the best that I could do.
Q: What were some of your favorite moments at Western Michigan?
A: Practices were fun. The games were exciting. We played a very tough schedule. It was all of interest and exciting to me. I can't pick out a moment or a game.
Q: Why did you decide to come to Western Michigan?
A: Western played the type of system we played in high school at Gary Roosevelt. My high school coach felt of all the offers I had, I may have had 12 or 13 offers, Western would be a good choice. I went on his recommendation. Being a student, you don't have all that knowledge of this school versus that school and the style of play and the type of coaches and distance from home. The high school coach helped me to make that decision. The assistant coach, Pat Clysdale, was who recruited me and my high school coach had a good relationship with him and he felt that Western was a program I should go to instead of some of the other ones.
Q: What have you done since graduating from Western Michigan?
A: Western was the first step in college, which was very important that I have a good foundation. I also got my master's from Western, which is an excellent, excellent university as I look back on it. Great experience and excellent university. I'm glad I chose Western. My first education job was in the financial aid office at Western Michigan after I got my master's degree.
Coaching jobs were few and far between for minorities at the college level. They weren't really hiring minority coaches when I came out. I got into higher education and I didn't know much about it, but after being in it a year or two, I liked it and stayed in that field.
Western is a great university and afforded me a great opportunity to get my education and play basketball. I'm glad they selected me and I selected them. I had a very positive experience at Western.
