STM hoops star shoots her way into record books

With her third three-pointer of the night on Friday, Feb. 13, Chantel Newman became the first girl to score 1,000 points in a career for the Saint Thomas Cavaliers basketball team.

Going into the game against the Greendale Panthers, Newman needed 19 points to reach 1,000. The senior guard finished the night with 27 points, including three three-pointers. The Panthers won the game 58-52.

Saint Thomas More High School celebrated the feat at the Lady Cavaliers’ following home game, on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Newman was presented with the game ball along with other gifts.

“This accomplishment is one of the most cherished in High School basketball. It shows that the player was a consistently great player and was for all four years of high school, something that is very hard to do,” said Coach Brian Krysiak. “Chantel deserves all of our admiration and praise for achieving this prestigious goal.”

Newman currently leads the Woodland Conference in scoring, at 18.2 points per game. She is in the top ten in scoring in the area. Newman also pulls down over 7 rebounds per game.

“I am constantly working on my shot. I stay after practice everyday to make it perfect,” Newman said. “Scoring a thousand points has a lot to do with confidence. You have to go into a game thinking like a scorer, not afraid to put in the winning shot.”

Newman, who remembers starting playing basketball on six foot hoops when she was five years old, has been on varsity for all four years at STM, and has started for three of them. She was named to the All-Conference team in her sophomore and junior seasons, and looks to be a lock for a third honor. Last season, she helped lead the team to a regional championship.

“It has been great playing here at STM,” Newman said. “The team is always like a family and I am able to come to them with anything. The coaches are great as well. They have taught me a lot throughout the years.”

“She is one of the best girls basketball players to ever come out of Saint Thomas More and she will be remembered as someone who was not just a great player, but a great person,” Krysiak said.

Newman was also a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel honorable mention selection as a singles tennis player this season and is also an accomplished musician.

“I try to take pride in all that I do,” Newman said. “I do admit that I don't have much free time, but it's definitely worth it. You end up learning a lot about all different groups and you get to meet all sorts of people. It will definitely help me with my future.”