The rapid rise of Newman in the New England basketball food chain has been defined largely by the emergence of the boys program as two-time defending Class AAA champions.
But don't let that overshadow the growth taking place on the girls side.
The Cardinals have taken flight quickly in just three years, establishing themselves as tough competitors in Class AAA. But with a huge influx of new talent behind some well-known returning stars, is Newman ready to truly contend for a championship?
I attended the Cardinals' open gym on Sept. 9 to see how the fall is progressing. Here's what to expect from the Cardinals when we get to winter.
State of the program
Newman is in its third year as a revamped girls basketball program. Two years ago, the Cardinals debuted in Class AA with Sam Doner as head coach and a collaborative bench that included assistant Brian Scalabrine. That first year was a roller coaster, with Newman making the playoffs as a No. 4 seed but parting ways with the staff after the season.
Katie Kolinski entered last year (more on her below) and Newman also moved up to Class AAA. Though the 14-18 overall record won't show it, this was a much-improved season from a stability standpoint. The Cardinals ended as our seventh-ranked NEPSAC program, took care of business against most teams aside from its AAA foes and nearly defeated Hoosac on the road in the quarterfinals.
Now in her second season, Kolinski has big ambitions. Newman will play in the Art Turner Memorial tournament at Paul VI in Virginia, facing some national powerhouses like The St. James Academy, as part of its schedule.
"I want to be considered a top prep program in the whole country, and you can see it by the players we brought in and the players we have," Kolinski said.
The coach
Kolinski arrived at Newman after previous college assistant coaching stints at Le Moyne and Lafayette, plus a director of basketball operations role at Buffalo. She also was a graduate assistant on Syracuse's men's team in 2016, the first woman in Orange program history to hold a spot on the bench.
In her first year as a head coach, Kolinski held her own. The NEPSAC schedule also challenged her to be consistently at her best.
"I think the coaching is so, so, so good in the NEPSAC, so for me, it's being on your A game every single day," she said. "And just the preparation that goes into it. We scouted last year and things like that, but you have to do more and the girls have to do more. So it's just that focus on the day-to-day. There's a fine line in the NEPSAC between winning and losing."
The star players
Newman rosters three players currently in the top 10 of our Best of New England rankings for their respective classes.
Ayla Keefe, fifth in our 2028 rankings, is back after landing on our All-AAA Second Team last year, posting 12.2 points, four rebounds and three steals per game.
The Cave Creek, Ariz., native has already committed to Davidson. Kolinski praised the way Keefe took Newman's top defensive matchups last year and never felt out of control as a leader. She wants to see Keefe be more decisive seeking her shot, and Keefe has put in work to grow her scoring game.
"I've definitely been working on, offensively, shooting (and) split-second decisions (when) if I'm open, I'm gonna shoot it," she said. "I've been working a lot on my shot, so I'm excited about that. And this team, they make it easy. We have so many shooters."
Newman also has a standout creator and playmaker in Gabby Middleton (Stoughton, Mass.), our ninth-ranked 2027 prospect. The UMBC commit's handle, strength and 3-point threat helped her average 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists last year, and she'll again be a lead scoring option.
But Hillary Simo is the star in the making. She emerged as a dependable starting center who averaged close to a double-double as a sophomore, then laid down a massive AAU season that saw her draw a handful of high-major offers. The 6-foot-4 center from Cameroon is our third-ranked 2028 prospect and someone Kolinski expects to "dominate" this winter.
"She has the physical tools," Kolinski said. "She has worked so hard all summer on her own — got in shape, wants to be in the gym every single day, wants to be coached — and I think it's going to be a huge year for her. To me, I think she's going to end up being one of the top posts in the country when it's all said and done."
The under-the-radar player
Right with those three in terms of on-court impact in point guard Shannon Welburn (Wellesley, Mass.).
We've already shouted out the Denison commit as one of NEPSAC's most underrated players. Welburn averaged 11.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 steals last season and will again help run the show as a high-motor driving guard and rebounder. Her twin sister, Shea Welburn, is also among Newman's top defenders and an important rotation piece.
The newcomers
Keefe, Middleton, Simo and Welburn are a great core four. But Kolinski hit the recruiting trail and loaded up this roster. The new Cardinals are what could define this team's ceiling.
Two names jump out right away. Kahlia Lewis, a 6-foot senior wing/forward and Navy commit from New Jersey, will add size and competitive fire to Newman's frontcourt. Lewis put up 20.6 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, her previous school, as a junior.
Melody Vaughn has the biggest prospect stature of any new Cardinal. She's already receiving high-major interest as a 2029 guard also from New Jersey. Vaughn is a 5-foot-10, score-first guard who pushes the pace and has serious range on her perimeter shot.
"She has the calls already, she has the offers already, but she's such a gym rat that it forces other people to be gym rats," Kolinski said.
That's just the start. Kolinski is excited about the potential of physical point guard La'Kaisah "KayKay" Graham, a 2029 guard from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lila McCarty is a local transfer from Sharon, Mass., who can stretch the floor, Baileigh Kimball adds more guard depth after transferring from Marianapolis, and even underrated wing Emmy Chan shined during the open gym I attended. And there are more new names too.
Our expectations
Newman fields one of NEPSAC's deepest rosters. Those top four returners should help with stability and leadership as this massive group of newcomers acclimates. Both Kolinski and Keefe expect the Cardinals to play at a much faster pace last year, which is a good sign that'll help them match the high tempo of some other Class AAA rivals.
The biggest question marks to me are, first, how Newman pressures the basket in the half-court against some of the elite defenses they'll meet during the season. But the Cardinals have so many weapons that as long as they commit to ball movement, they'll find open chances. More broadly, can this roster find synergy with so many players deserving of opportunity? What are they willing to sacrifice individually to win?
I expect the Cardinals to flip many of their close losses from last year into victories. They're not proven quite yet, but momentum is on their side, and they're a legit championship contender.
