Georgia basketball and Mike White make recruiting splash by landing five-star recruit
The Georgia basketball program's efforts to ascend under second-year coach Mike White got a major boost on Wednesday when Asa Newell became one of the biggest recruiting wins in Bulldog hoops history.
Newell is set to become the second-highest rated recruit to ever enroll at Georgia behind only Anthony Edwards in 2019 after announcing his commitment on Instagram Live.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound power forward from Montverde (Fla.) Academy is rated as the No. 8 overall player in the 247Sports Composite.
“To me Asa is the new age big man everyone is looking for,” said Eric Bossi, 247Sports National Basketball Director. “He can obviously play in the paint where he is athletic, he finishes lobs, he protects the rim on the defensive end, but he can also step up and face the rim. He’s a capable 3-point shooter. He can put the ball on the floor a little bit.”
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Georgia had some advantages in landing Newell over Alabama, Gonzaga and Texas.
He grew up for part of his upbringing in Athens and his older brother Jaden is a walk-on forward already on the Bulldogs. They lived in Athens for six years while their grandmother, Jaqueline Mitchell, worked as an administrative assistant in UGA Human Resources.
Newell said in his announcement: "I'll be going back home and be committed to the University of Georgia."
Newell said his brother "really recruited me hard. My brother really pushed me to be the best person I can be on and off the floor."
Assistant Erik Pastrana played a big role in recruiting Newell, who spent two seasons playing at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., before transferring to Montverde.
"Even with the ties it wasn’t like he was some sure thing that there was no way he was going anywhere else,” Bossi said.
Newell was a member of the USA Men’s Under 19 National Team, averaging 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for a team that finished fourth at the World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
“The way he moves isn’t like how you think of a big man moving,” Bossi said. “He moves more like a wing or a guard, just how fluid he is laterally. He’s a guy that I think shows us stuff in flashes right now but his real upside and what he could be is still a few years away from being realized.”
Georgia had the SEC’s No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the previous cycle led by guards Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. That was behind only Kentucky in the SEC.
Newell is the first commitment for Georgia’s 2024 class, but some other big targets could join him.
Georgia is in the mix for top 30 prospects Derrion Reid, a 6-7, 180-pound power forward from Augusta and Khani Rooths, a 6-8, 200-pounder from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
"I've been recruiting a little bit," Newell said. "We're going to change the culture at Georgia."
Bossi said he would “not count” Georgia out for Reid and that the Bulldogs “have a really good shot with,” Rooths.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Five-star forward Asa Newell gives Georgia basketball a commitment
