ATHENS — Years of attention and investment paid off for Georgia’s Mike White on Wednesday when the Bulldogs’ second-year basketball coach received a commitment from 5-star prospect Asa Newell.
The 6-foot-9 power forward from famed basketball powerhouse Monteverde Academy in Florida had been trending for the Bulldogs for a long time. His brother, Jaden, is a sophomore walk-on at UGA, and the family once lived in Athens. But Newell had continued to take recruiting visits and was vigorously pursued by the likes of Alabama, Gonzaga and Texas.
5⭐️ Asa Newell (no. 11 ESPN 💯) has committed to Georgia #GoDawgs @NewellAsa | @UGABasketball pic.twitter.com/B6zCHlRQ3C
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) October 25, 2023
Newell becomes Georgia’s first commitment of the 2024 recruiting cycle. The thought is that several other blue-chippers will soon follow.
“An explosive vertical athlete, emphatic above-the-rim finisher and consistent lob threat,” writes Adam Finkelstein, basketball recruiting expert for 247Sports. “He runs well, covers the court, and has become increasingly dangerous in transition with a newfound commitment to sprinting the floor.”
White and assistant coach Erik Pastrana had been recruiting Newell since White was head coach at Florida. Newell has been a fixture at Georgia basketball and football games the past two years. He took his official visit to UGA on the weekend of Oct. 6, at which time he attended “Stegmania” at Stegeman Coliseum and the Georgia-Kentucky football game.
A native Atlantan, Newell lived with his family in Athens for 10 years.
“It’s home for me,” Newell told ESPN. “Yes, they have won back-to-back national championships in football. That’s great. They are also hungry for Georgia basketball to be great. I want to build a legacy at Georgia.”
🔔 🔔 🔔 #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/PRTGJrtRt2
— Mike White (@CoachWhiteUGA) October 25, 2023
Newell said he plans to sign his official letter-of-intent with the Bulldogs when the fall signing period opens Nov. 8.
Newell is the third highest-rated prospect to commit to Georgia basketball in recent years. He’s the No. 2-ranked forward and No. 13 prospect overall in 247Sports’ national rankings. Only Anthony Edwards and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were ranked higher as recruits.
“I believe in coach White and what he is doing with the program,” Newell told ESPN. “I am confident in him, and he is with me, that we can turn this program around. He holds his players accountable but is positive about it. My brother is on the team and has been very positive about how the program is daily. I have seen how his body and game have changed.
Newell has represented USA Basketball on twice, suiting up for the U17 national team at the 2022 World Championships and for the U19 team at the 2023 World Championships. A left-handed power forward, Newell is considered a versatile inside scorer who also shoots well from the perimeter. Newell’s senior season at Monteverde got off to a good start last week as he averaged 12.7 points and 10 rebounds in three games in the Border League tournament in Las Vegas.
