Asa Newell set to revitalize Georgia basketball’s comeback
ATHENS, Ga. (BVM) – The Georgia Bulldogs basketball program has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2015 and it only has one season since then in which it finished over .500 in conference play. Football typically dominates the talk of the school, while the play on the hardwood is an afterthought.
This fall however is a little different.
Head coach Mike White is building something in Athens as Georgia is coming off its first 20-win season in eight years. But this upcoming campaign could be even more special.
The roster looks stout with Silas Demary and Blue Cain returning, while also adding Tyrin Lawrence from Vanderbilt, but it is a 6-foot-11 freshman who has garnered the most attention.
Asa Newell was a consensus five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida and is a player who is projected to go in the lottery of the 2025 NBA Draft.
It is not often that the Bulldogs land a blue-chip prospect. In fact, Newell is the second-highest-rated player to play for the program according to 247 Sports, only behind Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Georgia Freshman "Asa Newell" beating #2 Overall Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft "Alexander Sarr" off the dribble off of the closeout. pic.twitter.com/W198fAY2Ci
— Aidan Dawson (@aidandawson25) August 27, 2024
Newell moved to Destin, Florida, when he was 10, but he grew up in the Athens area. Whenever the elite high school recruit was being contacted by the top schools in the country, it was his connection to the Georgia community that made him feel like it was an opportunity he could not pass up.
“We want to bring back Georgia basketball,” Newell said. “It’s something that everyone wants to do and something everyone is excited for. The fans are really, really hungry for a good Georgia basketball program. I felt led here by God.”
Newell is a great all-around player. He is a bouncy athlete who can shoot from deep and protect the rim, which could put him in the conversation for SEC Freshman of the Year.
6’9 Asa Newell was cooking at @frmlazro and will be @ugabasketball next first round pick 🔥 he impressed several NBA teams with his jumper and playing through contact off the dribble 🤯 🎥 @JordanRichardSC pic.twitter.com/33W80JdngL
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) August 17, 2024
The premier prospect did not even start playing an organized variation of the sport until he was in sixth grade. Before that decision, Newell was a soccer player.
“I was like, ‘I play soccer, but I don’t even watch it. I’m always watching basketball,’” Newell said.
The primary sport in the Newell household flipped to basketball not only for Asa, but his older brother Jaden as well.
They became teammates later on at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, and Jaden walked on at the University of Georgia after graduating in 2022. Now the Newell brothers are teammates again in the SEC.
“We’ve done a lot of things together,” Asa said. “We played soccer together, swam, played high school ball together for two years. Now we’re at the college level together. We’re both driven and motivated to accomplish things. He is someone I can rely on and ask advice from. Him being there for me is amazing.”
Asa is in a unique position with the amount of hype that is around him as a basketball player, but he uses his friends and family to realize there is more than that. Overall, he could not be more grateful for his situation.
Georgia signee Asa Newell has been ballin for Montverde Academy. Ace Averaged 14pts, shooting 66% in last weekends 3-game sweep with 12 total rebounds.#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/Y1agmDrN07
— Georgia Basketball (@UGABasketball) December 9, 2023
“I just love what I do,” Newell said. “I’m doing what I love, I’m around the people that I love. Life is going great. Just adding pressure to yourself isn’t good and can drain you. Life is so short, you just have to appreciate the good things. I’m doing what I love, so I don’t really feel any pressure. I’m just going on the path that God is leading me to.”
Newell would love to accomplish memorable moments and accolades this season in Athens, but he knows that is something that comes from constant hard work. If he focuses on that, he believes he can achieve what he wants to at the University of Georgia and beyond.
“I want to maximize my potential in everything that I do,” Newell said. “That starts with little things like being consistent. If I do everything I need to do, a lot of things will take care of itself.”
