Asa Newell is Ushering in a New Era of Georgia Basketball

One of the stars of Montverde's marquee team last year, Asa Newell bucked the traditional path, following his brother Jaden to play for Mike White's Bulldogs. What kind of impact can he have as a first-year player?

Asa Newell of Montverde Academy dunks against Paul VI at the City of Palms Classic on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. / Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today

The University of Georgia is known for its athletics programs, especially its football program, one of the most dominant in the entire Southeastern Conference.

The Bulldogs won back-to-back National Championships in football in 2021 and 2022, and continue to stay atop of the college football world as they continue to program build and recruit at a high level.

But what about Georgia's basketball program? After all, it produced All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards in 2019, yet other than that, has had real trouble finding success consistently. They have not had a winning record in conference since 2015-16, and even then, they were just two games above .500 in conference play at 10-8, still failing to make the NCAA Tournament.

They have not made it past the second round of the NCAAs coming up on 30 years, with their last trip coming in 1995-96 under Tubby Smith, a season in which the Bulldogs finished 21-10 and made it to the Elite Eight, falling short of a Final Four appearance by just two points in a heartbreaking loss to Syracuse, 83-81.

Even still, they were an 8-seed that season. Despite the resources and location right near Atlanta, one of the most talent-rich basketball areas in the world, they have never been able to win at a high level –players like the aforementioned Edwards as well as NBA staples like Lou Williams and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were yet still unable to change the culture.

But new blood has been injected into the Georgia program. Mike White brought in the tenth-rated recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals, which includes Somto Cyril (four-star center/Overtime Elite), Savo Drezgic (four-star guard/DME Academy, FL), Jordyn Kee (three-star guard/Legacy Early College, SC), and the object of this piece, Montverde forward Asa Newell, a monster five-star prospect with "top ten pick" written all over him.

A powerful athlete, Newell stands at 6-foot-10 and sports a strong vertical leap and physical strength, making him a very difficult guard in the post due to his explosiveness. On top of the lob threat nature of his game, he's also a floor-spreading threat who has a nice stroke and is a good enough shooter to run pick-and-pop sets with.

He's also a menace in transition, a skill he was able to show off playing with a monster lineup of future NBA stars in Cooper Flagg (five-star forward, Duke), Rob Wright III (four-star guard, Baylor), Liam McNeely (four-star wing, Connecticut), Derik Queen (five-star center, Maryland), and a host of other Division I prospects.

Even on a team as loaded as this one, Newell stood out. His offense isn't the only sticking point, though – his defensive role as a shot-altering big makes him even more valuable, especially when taking into consideration that he'll be playing the frontcourt with another highly touted big in Somto Cyril.

Considering the roster is thin at the forward spot, it's a given that Newell will start for Mike White's team. Luckily for the freshman bigs, sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. returns after an All-Freshman Southeastern Conference campaign, and Blue Cain returns at the guard spot to provide some floor spacing.

Overall, Newell has been considered as high as the seventh-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft due to his confluence of skills – a legitimate face-up game, real athleticism, and a nice stroke from outside.

Given his ability and the players around him, Newell could end up having an excellent campaign for the Bulldogs this year, not only for himself, but to help Mike White put this program on the map. With the proximity to the Atlanta area, there is really no excuse for Georgia to have had the struggles they have. This cycle could be the catalyst for building a winning program in Athens.

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