Asa Newell wants to put Georgia basketball on the map

ATHENS, Ga. - When Asa Newell committed to play at Georgia in October 2023, college basketball fans around the country might have wondered why the five-star prospect chose the Bulldogs over more established programs like Alabama, Gonzaga and Texas.

For Newell and his older brother Jaden, a sophomore forward, it was an opportunity to return to the campus that had been a cornerstone of their childhoods.

The Newells' late maternal grandmother, Jacqueline Mitchell, worked as an administrative assistant in the University of Georgia president's office for 15 years.

After Asa and Jaden moved to Athens as toddlers with their parents, Justin Newell and Carmen Mitchell-Newell, their grandmother made sure they took advantage of every opportunity the university had to offer.

The Newell brothers attended preschool at the McPhaul Center, an on-campus nursery school, which is across the street from Stegeman Coliseum.

Asa and Jaden took piano lessons from a graduate student at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, learned to swim in Gabrielsen Natatorium and attended drama camps in the summer.

"She was very hard working and very dedicated to our family," Asa said of his late grandmother, who died in 2016. "She would make whatever sacrifice she needed to make to make sure that we had whatever we needed, whether it was sports, clothes, presents under the Christmas tree. She made sure it happened."

The Newell family moved to Destin, Florida, after Mitchell died in 2016. "When my mom passed, it became very difficult, especially for me, to stay in Athens," Mitchell-Newell said. "We needed a change just to reset."

But when it was time for Asa to choose a college during the fall of his senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida, he chose familiarity over tradition. Jaden had already enrolled at Georgia as a preferred walk-on in 2022; his younger brother surprised a lot of coaches when he also decided to return to Athens.

"Asa wanted to be a change agent, and he wanted to leave a legacy at a school," Mitchell-Newell said. "He could have gone to a school that has the national championships or a lot of players being drafted, but he wanted to go somewhere he could really make a change. I think it's easier to go to a school that has great success already, that's already established, than to go to a school where there is work to be done."

When Newell picked the Bulldogs, he became the second five-star recruit to commit to Georgia since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007. The 6-foot-10 power forward was ranked the No. 13 prospect in the class of 2024.

Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards was the No. 4 recruit when he signed with Georgia in February 2019. Edwards averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman before he was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

"One of the reasons I wanted to come here was to help bring up a program and create a legacy," Asa said. "I didn't want to go somewhere where they wanted me. I wanted to go somewhere where they needed me, and I felt like Georgia needed me."

BULLDOGS ASSISTANT COACH Erik Pastrana first offered Asa a scholarship when he was working at Oklahoma State in 2021. He joined Mike White's staff at Florida in 2021-22, then followed him to Georgia the next season.

After Jaden joined the Bulldogs as a walk-on, Asa was able to get a clear understanding of how the program operated. Jaden was relaying everything he saw back to his brother and parents.

"I could tell that the coaching staff here really cared about you," Jaden said. "Asa would ask me about what we were doing and what it was like here, and I always told him the truth."

White is certainly happy the Newell brothers had a desire to return to the campus where they grew up.

With Asa leading the team in scoring (15.4 points) and rebounding (6.8), the Bulldogs are off to a 14-2 start heading into Wednesday's game at No. 6 Tennessee (8 p.m. ET/SEC Network).

After knocking off then-No. 6 Kentucky 82-69 and then-No. 17 Oklahoma 72-62 at home last week, Georgia is No. 23 in the AP and coaches' poll. It's the first time they've been ranked in both since March 2003.

"With this team, we've got room to reach our ceiling, especially offensively," White said. "The things about these guys, we don't coach effort with this team. We don't have to challenge our guys to compete. You don't have the fear of going into an opposing arena and worrying that your guys won't show up for the fight.

"We'll win some, we'll lose some, but we've got a competitive group. We've got a group that really likes each other. We've got a really healthy culture that we've got to continue to foster."

That culture starts with the Newell brothers. Jaden is a biology major and wants to attend medical school. According to White, he "models culture, work ethic and motor every day." Georgia's managers scream "motor" whenever Jaden makes a play in practice. He has appeared in five games this season.

"That's what he brings every day," White said. "When he's playing on the scout team, we have to slow him down at times because he goes so hard, and that's a luxury. He's just unselfish. He comes to work every day and is tough. He's turned himself into a scholarship player in the SEC."

What has surprised White most about Asa is that he hasn't had a bad day yet as far as effort is concerned. From preseason practice to exhibition games to the regular season, Asa has been as consistent as anyone on the team. "He's a true freshman," White said. "I've never seen anything like it in his humility, his mental toughness, his consistency, work ethic and maturity. He's got an old soul. He's the same kid every single day, and he has not had a freshman day yet."

Asa is expected to be a one-and-done player at Georgia. ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony ranks him as the No. 24 prospect available for June's draft. NBA scouts like his mobility and work in getting offensive rebounds (3.6 per game); they would like to see better ball handling and 3-point shooting (28.1%).

"He's got good touch with both hands around the rim, so his 2-point percentage is really good," White said. "His understanding of who he is and his ability to play within himself is an underrated factor, especially for a guy who's a true freshman. He'll continue to get stronger. He's a better shooter than his numbers currently indicate; his percentage will continue to go up."

Asa's willingness to play within Georgia's system and not force shots is partly a product of his high school career. Highly regarded freshmen Cooper Flagg (Duke), Derik Queen (Maryland) and Liam McNeeley (UConn) were his teammates at Montverde Academy. There were only so many shots to go around.

"He plays the right way," Justin Newell said. "He impacts winning. Even without scoring the ball, whether it be changing shots or getting a timely rebound, he knows when he needs to step up and make something happen."

Not surprisingly, the Newell brothers live together near the Georgia campus. Since they're only separated in age by about one year and nine months, their mother said Asa sometimes forgets who the big brother actually is.

"Asa knows everything that Jaden has done for him, and Asa will tell you in a heartbeat that Jaden is the one who plowed the field for him," Mitchell-Newell said. "Jaden went before him to make the opportunity better for him, to help him succeed."

After playing at Tennessee, Georgia's road ahead won't get any easier. The Bulldogs will host No. 1 Auburn on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network), followed by road games at Arkansas on Jan. 22 and No. 5 Florida three days later.

The Bulldogs haven't appeared in the NCAA tournament since losing to Michigan State 70-63 in the first round in 2015. They haven't won a game in the NCAAs since an 85-68 rout of Murray State in the first round in 2002 (the appearance was later vacated because of NCAA sanctions).

"People care about basketball here," White said. "They have shown up. It was 30 degrees the other day, and we turned away 600 students who were wrapped around this building. That's incredible."