University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jaden Newell
December 04, 2023 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jaden Newell will soon have someone very dear join him on the Georgia men's basketball team. On Nov. 8, his younger brother, Asa, a 6-9 power forward rated the nation's No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com Class of 2024 composite rankings, signed with the Bulldogs. The brothers that spent a lot of time playing one-on-one growing up will soon be suiting up together in the red and black.
A 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman forward from Destin, Fla., Jaden Newell spent part of his childhood living in Athens. He went to Georgia basketball camps, and his grandmother worked for the university. Newell remembers his family enjoying a staff holiday meal at Bolton Hall. Newell is now one of those college students that he used to see around town.
During a recent Quick Chat, Newell talked about how he's improved since walking on last season, his brother signing with the Bulldogs, the challenges of life as a really tall person, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What is it like being a student-athlete at Georgia while the football team is doing so well? Does the excitement carry over?
Newell: Yeah, definitely. Football brings a lot of excitement and it brings a lot of attention to Georgia athletics in general.
Frierson: What is it like going to the games?
Newell: It just feels like you're a fan. You know people on the football team and it's cool to see them make a good play and things like that. It's really enjoyable to watch, for sure.
Frierson: What is something that you as a really tall person have to deal with that us average-sized folks don't know or think about?
Newell: You can't get clothes anywhere. You have to go online. It's just really hard to find clothes.
Frierson: What is it like sitting at a game or in a movie theater? Do you slouch down as much as you can?
Newell: I try to get in a section where I can stretch out my legs, because my legs and my knees will start hurting. Even on planes, it's really hard. You're sitting there for multiple hours, and you're scrunched up. It's tough.
Frierson: Were you always tall for your age, or did you have one really big growth spurt?
Newell: I was always tall. I started getting really tall in eighth and ninth grade. That's when I had my big growth spurt.
I was definitely uncoordinated for a while. I feel like I've been uncoordinated all my life, and now is when I'm getting the hang of it. Before, I was kind of chubby, and when I got taller, all of that spread out or went away.
Frierson: In what way are you a better player together than you were at this time last year?
Newell: I feel way more confident, I have a better grasp of my abilities, my basketball IQ is way higher, and also, I've been in the gym. I'm getting stronger, so going against 7-foot Russ (Russel Tchewa) isn't as hard it would have been when I was 220 with not a lot of muscle. Now, I have about 10 pounds more muscle.
Frierson: When you watch Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, the 7-4 Frenchman with so many skills, what do you think?
Newell: I say that's impossible. There's no way he's moving like that when he's 7-4. Most people that are 7-4 are clumsy, or they don't know how to control their body in certain ways. There's no way he should be moving the way he is, for sure.
Frierson: How exciting is it to have your brother joining the Bulldogs next season?
Newell: It's really exciting. I got to play with him basically all my life until we got separated from middle school to high school and then we played two years together in high school. It's going to be really good, really fun to play with him now, especially now that we're young men and are better players than we've ever been.
Frierson: Were there some epic one-on-one battles at the house?
Newell: There are always epic one-on-one battles. Not just basketball. Every aspect of any competitive thing, we went really hard against each other. Whether it's Fortnite or basketball or even throwing the baseball around, we get really competitive.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Jaden Newell will soon have someone very dear join him on the Georgia men's basketball team. On Nov. 8, his younger brother, Asa, a 6-9 power forward rated the nation's No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com Class of 2024 composite rankings, signed with the Bulldogs. The brothers that spent a lot of time playing one-on-one growing up will soon be suiting up together in the red and black.
A 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman forward from Destin, Fla., Jaden Newell spent part of his childhood living in Athens. He went to Georgia basketball camps, and his grandmother worked for the university. Newell remembers his family enjoying a staff holiday meal at Bolton Hall. Newell is now one of those college students that he used to see around town.
During a recent Quick Chat, Newell talked about how he's improved since walking on last season, his brother signing with the Bulldogs, the challenges of life as a really tall person, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What is it like being a student-athlete at Georgia while the football team is doing so well? Does the excitement carry over?
Newell: Yeah, definitely. Football brings a lot of excitement and it brings a lot of attention to Georgia athletics in general.
Frierson: What is it like going to the games?
Newell: It just feels like you're a fan. You know people on the football team and it's cool to see them make a good play and things like that. It's really enjoyable to watch, for sure.
Frierson: What is something that you as a really tall person have to deal with that us average-sized folks don't know or think about?
Newell: You can't get clothes anywhere. You have to go online. It's just really hard to find clothes.
Frierson: What is it like sitting at a game or in a movie theater? Do you slouch down as much as you can?
Newell: I try to get in a section where I can stretch out my legs, because my legs and my knees will start hurting. Even on planes, it's really hard. You're sitting there for multiple hours, and you're scrunched up. It's tough.
Frierson: Were you always tall for your age, or did you have one really big growth spurt?
Newell: I was always tall. I started getting really tall in eighth and ninth grade. That's when I had my big growth spurt.
I was definitely uncoordinated for a while. I feel like I've been uncoordinated all my life, and now is when I'm getting the hang of it. Before, I was kind of chubby, and when I got taller, all of that spread out or went away.
Frierson: In what way are you a better player together than you were at this time last year?
Newell: I feel way more confident, I have a better grasp of my abilities, my basketball IQ is way higher, and also, I've been in the gym. I'm getting stronger, so going against 7-foot Russ (Russel Tchewa) isn't as hard it would have been when I was 220 with not a lot of muscle. Now, I have about 10 pounds more muscle.
Frierson: When you watch Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, the 7-4 Frenchman with so many skills, what do you think?
Newell: I say that's impossible. There's no way he's moving like that when he's 7-4. Most people that are 7-4 are clumsy, or they don't know how to control their body in certain ways. There's no way he should be moving the way he is, for sure.
Frierson: How exciting is it to have your brother joining the Bulldogs next season?
Newell: It's really exciting. I got to play with him basically all my life until we got separated from middle school to high school and then we played two years together in high school. It's going to be really good, really fun to play with him now, especially now that we're young men and are better players than we've ever been.
Frierson: Were there some epic one-on-one battles at the house?
Newell: There are always epic one-on-one battles. Not just basketball. Every aspect of any competitive thing, we went really hard against each other. Whether it's Fortnite or basketball or even throwing the baseball around, we get really competitive.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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