Chelsea Newton begins her second season as an assistant coach on the Rutgers women’s basketball staff. The former Scarlet Knight standout returned to the Banks last season, rejoining her former head coach and Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer.
In her first season as a full-time assistant coach, Newton made an immediate impact, helping the Rutgers program haul in the No. 3 ranked recruiting class in the nation. The group consisted of five highly-regarded scholastic stars, including four players who were ranked in the top-50 of the ESPNU HoopGurlz Top-100 list.
Coaching the posts during the 2010-11 season, Newton mentored Monique Oliver who enjoyed a breakout year as a sophomore. The 6-2 center averaged career bests in points, rebounds and blocks en route to Second Team All-BIG EAST honors. Having made three NCAA appearances as a player, Newton was on the staff for the Scarlet Knights ninth-straight tournament bid in 2011.
Newton is in her second stint on the Rutgers bench, having previously served as Director of Player Development during the 2006-07 season. The Scarlet Knights advanced to the NCAA Final Four and the National Championship game that year. Her duties included organizing scouting material and coordination of film exchange, as well as aiding in team travel.
An All-BIG EAST guard, Newton starred for the Scarlet Knights from 2001-2005, earning the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year trophy her final collegiate season. The Monroe, La. native started 95-of-104 games over her RU career, scoring in double-digits in 50 contests while consistently earning the toughest match-up on defense.
With a collegiate lifetime field goal percentage of .430 (362-of-842), Newton closed her career averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She was named a First Team All-Met selection and Third Team All-BIG EAST honoree in 2005.
Newton was drafted in the second round (22nd overall) in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. In her first season, she started all 34 games (4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and helped lead the Monarchs to the WNBA Championship. For her efforts, Newton was awarded a spot on the All-Rookie squad.
In her second tour with the Sacramento Monarchs, Newton was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2007.
Newton played five WNBA seasons - four with Sacramento and one with the Chicago Sky - logging 19.4 minutes per game while averaging 5.1 points. Having been picked up by the Seattle Storm in the 2009 dispersal draft, Newton officially announced her retirement on April 27, 2010.
Her accomplishments were not limited stateside as Newton enjoyed playing success overseas. She played in Italy’s Serie A1 with Liomatic Umbertide during the 2009-10 offseason and averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Her first stint in Italy was during the 2007-08 season in which Newton played for Carispe La Speziaa, averaging a team-best 15.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. She was a member of the Raanana Hertzliya team (Israel) in 2005 and played for Lotos Gdynia (Poland) in 2006.
While playing in the WNBA and overseas, Newton was active in the community. She participated in community service efforts with mentally challenged adults in Italy and in the U.S. was a member of the NBA Cares program. That effort involved helping to build a playground at a local neighborhood and volunteering at homeless shelters in the Sacramento area.
A WBCA and Parade High School All-American, Newton was twice named Northeast Louisiana Player of the Year out of Carroll High School. She was a three-time All-State selection on the playing court and graduated as the school’s valedictorian.
A 2005 graduate of Rutgers University, Newton earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and sports studies.
