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Lily Newton knew what she wanted from her Waubonsie Valley athletic career.
She played basketball and softball through middle school and then made a decision.
“She came in freshman year, and she told me that she wanted to play basketball and she didn’t want to do any other sports,” Waubonsie Valley girls basketball coach Brett Love said. “That meant a lot to me.
“For a freshman to come in and make a decision like that, it ultimately made my decision to want to put her on varsity and to have her play a major role.”
Newton has played a major role ever since, and her importance to the Warriors (17-1) is growing with each passing day. This is their best season since 2011-12, and the 5-foot-10 junior is a major, if underrated, catalyst. She was named to the all-tournament team at Wheaton North’s Bill Neibch Holiday Classic, which the Warriors won last week.
“She brings a lot to the table: a high IQ, high basketball IQ, toughness,” Love said. “She’s the backbone of what we do defensively. She steps up wherever we are lacking.”
Like everyone else on the roster, Newton is typically a guard. But because she and 6-0 senior Hannah Laub are the only players taller than 5-8, she usually plays forward or center.
“She’s so versatile that in the summer she even guarded 6-5, 6-6 girls,” Love said. “She can guard 1 through 5. The way she positions her body and her knowledge of the game just really has helped us out.”
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Newton, who said she has a 4.3 GPA, combines intelligence with the sleek frame that is perfect to play on the perimeter and the toughness needed to play in the post. She’s especially known for her defensive intensity.
“Defense is mostly effort,” Newton said. “I’ve got the IQ to know where to be, and then the rest is just effort.”
Newton’s effort is unquestioned — and at times otherworldly.
During a practice earlier this season, she suffered a broken nose when a teammate inadvertently hit her with an elbow. The injury happened on a Wednesday. Newton had surgery the following Tuesday and missed the Warriors’ game against St. Charles East that night.
“That day I couldn’t play because of the surgery, but I was back practicing the next day with a mask,” she said. “It blocks your vision so much that it was an adjustment, but I’ve got used to the mask, so it’s not bad.”
Newton returned to action three days after the surgery, and the Warriors didn’t lose in their 12 games since then as they prepared to play Neuqua Valley on Thursday. Laub said that isn’t a coincidence.
“No one else would do that,” Laub said of Newton’s quick return. “She was not playing against St. Charles East — that’s our one loss. That just shows how much she has an effect on this team.
“Even when she’s not scoring a lot, she’s always in there boxing out. If you look at the stat sheet, she’s not always the top one, but she’s the reason that everyone else scores.”
Newton is averaging 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 41% from the field, 52% from 3-point range and 74% from the line. But statistics don’t drive her passion for basketball.
“I just love how much it’s a team sport,” she said. “I’m not really a flashy player. I don’t have 30 points. I don’t have 20 steals. I do things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. So moments like this (interview), when people realize what I do, makes it all worth it. It’s a lot of fun.”
That team-first attitude is contagious.
“She works hard, which always makes me work hard too,” Laub said. “I’m like, ‘Lily is going after rebounds. I better too. If she’s hustling, I can hustle the whole game.’”
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Laub also lauded Newton’s intangibles.
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“I really like the positivity,” Laub said. “If I’m ever having a bad game or if I’m mad about something, she’s the first person to come up and get me back up and going again.”
Newton has an offer from DePauw, but she isn’t too focused on the recruiting process.
“AAU season will be for the recognition and talking to colleges,” she said. “My main goal right now is our team wants to get to state. We think it’s possible.”
The possibilities seem endless for Newton.
“She has major potential,” Love said. “She still hasn’t reached the top yet.
“When we need her to shoot, she’ll knock down five threes. She’s getting more creative off the dribble. She does what is necessary, so I think she can go anywhere she wants to go.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.