Asa Newell, 5-star recruit, giving Gonzaga men's basketball a 'hard look'

One of the top power forwards in 2024 class is also considering Texas, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama

Five-star recruit Asa Newell is reportedly giving Gonzaga men's basketball a "hard look," according to ESPN college basketball analyst Paul Biancardi.

Newell, who took an official visit to Gonzaga in July, is the 13th-ranked recruit in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-9 forward is 11th on ESPN's Top 100, which has him as the top-ranked player in the state of Florida. Newell is a top-10 recruit according to Rivals.com and On3.com, which ranked him as the top power forward in the class.

One of the most sought-after recruits in next year's class, Newell currently fields numerous offers from premier programs, including Gonzaga, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas and Michigan. 

Newell revealed he received an offer from the Zags in July after being recruited by new assistant coach and former Florida state assistant R-Jay Barsh. A commitment from the Montverde Academy product would make him the third-highest-ranked recruit in program history behind Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs.

Gonzaga has established a track record recruiting talent from Montverde Academy. Philadelphia 76ers forward Filip Petrusev finished his high school career at the Florida basketball powerhouse, as did Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard and his younger brother Ryan, Gonzaga's current point guard who won a championship at Montverde in 2021.

Landing Newell will be easier said than done, though, as he travels around the country this fall on official visits. After visiting Texas last week, Newell has lined up visits with Auburn (Sept. 22), two with Georgia (Sept 23. and Oct. 7) and Indiana (Oct. 21).

Both On3.com and Rivals.com expect Newell to sign with Georgia, where his older brother Jaden was a walk-on last season before earning a redshirt as a freshman. Indiana is also in the running according to the recruiting databases, though the Hoosiers were not among the teams Biancardi reported as receiving a "hard look" from Newell.

Following his first season at Montverde, Newell represented the United States at the FIBA U-19 World Cup in June. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in seven appearances. 

Gonzaga has two open scholarships to offer after Marcus Adams Jr. decommitted from the program to join BYU. The Zags also landed Croatian star Luka Krajnovic in August.