Asa Newell chooses Georgia: Nation's top power forward commits to Bulldogs over Gonzaga, Alabama, Texas

Montverde Academy (Florida) 5-star is nation's No. 8 overall prospect

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Oct 25, 2023

The nation's top-rated power forward in the class of 2024 is off the board.

Montverde Academy (Florida) forward Asa Newell announced his commitment to Georgia on Wednesday, picking the Bulldogs over a final four of Gonzaga, Texas and Alabama.

The addition of Newell to UGA's 2024 class is seismic for head coach Mike White — his top-rated prospect to commit since taking over in 2022.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound left-handed power forward is a consensus 5-star and On3 gives his highest rating: No. 1 power forward and No. 8 overall prospect in the nation and No. 2 overall prospect in Florida.

He's a native of Athens, Georgia, and Georgia was the leader according to On3 and 247 Sports to land Newell.

Newell a standout returning to the top-ranked team in the country in the preseason. Montverde Academy is the No. 1 team in the preseason SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

SBLive/Sports Illustrated Top 25 national high school boys basketball preseason rankings: Montverde Academy No. 1 (10/23/2023)

Published Oct 25, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.