Blood sugar is Tyler Newbold's priority

SPOKANE, Wash. — Utah State guard Tyler Newbold couldn't be blamed if he laughed at the mention of Bryan Davis, scoffed at the subject of Donald Sloan and snorted at the visage of Dash Harris.

They're merely the opposition in Friday's first round NCAA Tournament game.

He's been facing more serious obstacles than that since he was 12.

You think holding Texas A&M off the offensive boards is a problem? Try keeping your blood sugar below 200 and above 70 when you have Type I diabetes.

Rebounding and defending will seem like child's play.

Before USU meets Texas A&M, Newbold will do what he always does — check his blood sugar. He does it early and often, especially on game days. That's because things can swing quickly when you're roaring around the basketball court. He has never had a serious problem in his three seasons with the Aggies, never gone into diabetic shock during a game. But he does monitor himself closely to be safe. If things start feeling weird — which he says happens periodically — he drinks Gatorade or eats candy to get things back where they should be.

Getting into position on defense can thereafter be his biggest priority, not battling light headedness or blurry vision.

Newbold, a starting guard for USU, is far from the first diabetic to compete at a high level. Adam Morrison, who played his college ball in Spokane at Gonzaga, is a well-known diabetic. So are Billy Jean King, quarterback Jay Cutler, NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier and boxer Joe Frazier.

Hall of Fame ballplayers Jackie Robinson and Ty Cobb fought the spiking and dropping of blood sugar levels, as well, which should eliminate any perception that diabetics can't live their dreams. In fact, that's exactly how Newbold describes being in the NCAA Tournament.

"It's something you dream about as a kid," he says.

If a person can manage momentum swings in basketball, why not manage a few blood sugar swings?

All it takes for Newbold is four (or more) insulin shots a day.

"It's trial and error," he says, "but I'm getting better."

Newbold is a model of success against a troublesome disease. He speaks publicly to parents of diabetics to assure them their kids need not abandon their goals. His coach, Stew Morrill, describes him as "a coach's dream."

Continues Morrill, "He gives you everything he has."