Indiana Basketball: Freshman guard Jakai Newton out indefinitely following surgery

Indiana basketball freshman guard Jakai Newton will be out indefinitely following a procedure, the program announced on Wednesday.

Newton arrived at Indiana after missing most of his senior season in high school with a knee injury.

“Indiana freshman guard Jakai Newton underwent a procedure to treat a pre-existing injury today. There is no timetable for his return at this point,” a team spokesman said.

Newton was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class and finished his high school career ranked No. 117 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

“Jakai is an outstanding two-way player who takes pride in his ability to be a lockdown defender,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said when Newton signed. “He has tremendous athleticism and is aggressive at getting to the rim. He is well-coached and comes from a very well thought of high school program. He continues to improve and better himself with an outstanding work ethic. He has quick feet, a 6-10 wingspan, and a tremendous ability to elevate which will help him on both ends of the floor. He is a skilled player with a great build that should translate well to the Big Ten.”

Newton committed to Indiana over offers from Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Xavier, Clemson and many others.

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game a junior at Newton (Ga.) High School.

Indiana’s 2023 class ranked No. 9 in the 247Sports team rankings and No. 14 in the Rivals team rankings.

The Hoosiers have just 10 scholarship players healthy at the moment.