Gonzaga players on Georgia's leading scorer Asa Newell: 'He's gonna be a challenge for us'

Newell was heavily pursued as a 5-star recruit coming out of Montverde Academy

Cole Forsman | Mar 18, 2025

Georgia Bulldogs forward Asa Newell (14) controls the ball against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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As the Gonzaga men's basketball team crams in as much prep work and film study as it can in the days leading up to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a familiar name appears at the top of the scouting report of its first-round opponent.

Asa Newell, a skilled 6-foot-11 freshman who leads the 9-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in scoring and rebounds, was heavily recruited by Gonzaga's coaching staff when he was a 5-star recruit coming out of Montverde Academy, the same prep school hoops powerhouse in Florida that Bulldogs senior guard Ryan Nembhard attended.

"He came here on a visit [in July 2023] and he went to Montverde, so I'm familiar with him," Nembhard said of Newell after finding out the Zags' NCAA Tournament path during Selection Sunday. "I went to dinner with him when he was hanging around so, I didn't know him at Montverde but I definitely watched him. I'm a fan of his game."

A few months after his trip to Spokane, Newell decided to stay close to home by committing to Mike White and Georgia, making him the third-highest-ranked recruit in program history.

In 32 starts in his freshman season, Newell put up 15.3 points per game while shooting 54.1% from the field, the third-best field goal percentage in the SEC. He also ripped down the second most offensive rebounds in the SEC with 104 and ranked No. 11 in total rebounds with 219. Newell took home SEC All-Freshman honors after finishing third amongst the league's freshmen in scoring.

As a team, Georgia is top 20 in the country in offensive rebounding rate (36.1%) according to KenPom.com. Newell ranks among the top 50 players individually in offensive rebounding rate (13.8%) and has the highest offensive rating on his team (128.4, 48th-best in the nation).

"Great player, lot of upside so, he's gonna be a challenge for us to figure out," Nembhard said of Newell. "But we got a bunch of great guys over here looking forward to the challenge."

Georgia Bulldogs forward Asa Newell (14) dribbles against Vanderbilt Commodores forward JaQualon Roberts (24). / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Graham Ike is particularly looking forward to the challenge of slowing down Georgia's go-to guy when they square off at Intrust Bank Arena this Thursday. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Ike leads the Zags in scoring at 17.1 points and pulls down a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game. Adept at drawing contact near the hoop, Ike ranks among the top 35 players in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (6.5 according to KenPom).

Newell isn't afraid to let it fly from deep, as he averages 2.7 attempts from 3-point range, but he knocks down just 29.9% of his looks from outside the arc. Georgia was a below-average team from 3-point range this season anyway, which means a majority of the battles between Newell and Ike will come down to whoever can dictate the painted area.

"I think that'd be a fun matchup between he and I and some of the other guys," Ike said of going toe-to-toe with Georgia's leading scorer. "But we respect him as a team and we look forward to a great matchup."

The Bulldogs also have Braden Huff up front as well. The 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore is coming off his second career start against Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference championship game, when he dropped a team-high 18 points in a 58-51 win over the Gaels from Las Vegas. Huff is one of five Bulldogs in double figures for scoring this season, putting up 10.8 points on 57.0% shooting from the field.

"He's putting up terrific numbers over there at Georgia," Bulldogs senior guard Nolan Hickman said of Newell. "So we have to do a lot of homework on him and double down on him when they're on offense. They got a good talented group."

In addition to staying close to home, Newell teamed up with his older brother Jaden, a former walk-on at Georgia and currently a redshirt sophomore who appeared in six games this season. Newell chose Georgia over Gonzaga, Alabama and Texas. He also fielded offers from Indiana, Auburn, Kansas and Michigan among others.

"Just the interesting ties that happened just because of the life of basketball," Bulldogs head coach Mark Few said of squaring off against Newell in the first round. "We recruited Asa Newell really, really hard. Just a great player, an even better person; comes from a great family."