Samford AD Martin Newton named Chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee for the 2026-27 season

Martin Newton, Director of Athletics at Samford University, has been appointed chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2026-27 season. He will serve as vice chair during the 2025-26 season, supporting committee chair Keith Gill, commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.

Newton has led Samford's athletics department for 14 years, overseeing 87 Southern Conference championships. A former honorable mention all-conference basketball player at Samford, he graduated in 1983 and spent over 25 years in shoe company marketing before joining the University of Kentucky in 2009. During his two-year tenure at Kentucky, he managed budgeting, fundraising, compliance, scheduling, marketing, and academic support for men’s basketball.

A seasoned NCAA leader, Newton has served on the Council Coordination Committee, Division I Council, and Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. He is the son of Naismith Hall of Famer C.M. Newton, who chaired the same committee from 1998-99 after serving from 1992-1999.

Newton called the appointment "a tremendous honor," noting it allows him to follow his father’s footsteps. He described the leadership role as "surreal" and expressed deep pride for himself and his family.

The 87th Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will conclude with the 2026 Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4-6, marking the city’s ninth time hosting – second only to Kansas City’s 10. The 2026 event will feature expanded programming, including NIT semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse (April 2) and NIT/Division II/III championships at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (April 5). Indianapolis will tie Kansas City’s record when it hosts again in 2029.

The committee for 2025-26 includes Newton, Gill, and representatives from Alabama, Minnesota, Manhattan College, West Coast Conference, Temple, Abilene Christian, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, and Big Sky Conference.