University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Asa Newell
January 05, 2025 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Asa Newell has made a quick impression as a freshman on the Georgia men's basketball team. A five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida, one of the top programs in the country, Newell has immediately brought size, skill, athleticism, and energy to the Bulldog program.
Through the Bulldogs' first 14 games, the 6-foot-11 Newell has averaged a team-high 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds a game while shooting 58.8% from the floor. He's also second on the team with 16 blocks and fourth with 17 steals. He's doing a bit of everything for the Bulldogs, just as he did a bit of everything in Athens during the six years he lived here when he was young.
Newell and his older brother, Jaden, a redshirt sophomore forward with the Bulldogs, spent part of their childhoods in Athens. Their grandmother, Jacqueline Mitchell, even worked in the President's Office and in Human Resources at UGA. Newell remembers swimming at Bishop Park and the Ramsey Center, playing soccer for a local club, and he remembers taking piano lessons.
Now, he's creating many more memories, from going to college with his brother, to helping the Bulldogs get their season off to a great start. During a recent Quick Chat, Newell talked about his adjustment to college, staying focused amid talk that he could be a high NBA draft pick, his first dunk and more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Now that your first semester at Georgia is done, has college been about what you expected?
Newell: I'd say so. I've been taking college classes since I was a sophomore in high school. I took dual-enrollment classes and I have my AA degree, so it's kind of what I expected, but they do a fantastic job making sure we have everything that we need on the academic side.
Frierson: That's impressive. Was there a plan when you started taking college classes so early?
Newell: There was definitely a plan. My mom really pushed me to get my AA degree. I did it for her.
Frierson: How do you handle having your name out there as a potential lottery pick in the next NBA draft? Is it distracting?
Newell: I'll just say that I'm just really focused on each day. Like, I'm just focusing on how can I maximize my day. And by doing that, it takes care of itself. So I'm just, I'm addicted to the process. I'm addicted to the grind, and I'm in God's hands.
Frierson: Talking with Jaden, I know one of the things he remembers from his time in Athens when he was young is going to UGA's staff-wide Thanksgiving lunches at Bolton Hall. What memories do you have from the years that you lived here?
Newell: I remember swimming for the Dolphins at Bishop Park. I remember swimming at the Ramsey Center. Nana used to always take me to the music school because I had piano lessons. I also played soccer for Athens United.
Frierson: Were you always the tallest person in your classes or did you have one or two big growth spurts?
Newell: I was always tall. Ever since I can remember, my shoulders were even with the top of their heads. I was always the tallest, but I played up (with older players) in most of my sports. So, I mean, it's just who I am. There was nothing awkward about it — I love who I am.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Newell: It was my eighth-grade year, going into the summer of my ninth-grade year, and I was outside. We had a hoop in the driveway and I was watching so many basketball videos on how to dunk, and I just was out there almost every day. First, I was trying to dunk a tennis ball, then a soccer ball, and then eventually I got to a basketball.
It was a great feeling. My whole family was out there. My dad was recording it, and everyone was celebrating.
Frierson: What's the best thing about going to college with your brother?
Newell: He's always holding me accountable. He's always there for me. If I need to talk to him about anything, he's always like a shoulder that can lay on. He's always there whenever I'm in a time of need and he really holds me accountable. That means a lot.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Asa Newell has made a quick impression as a freshman on the Georgia men's basketball team. A five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida, one of the top programs in the country, Newell has immediately brought size, skill, athleticism, and energy to the Bulldog program.
Through the Bulldogs' first 14 games, the 6-foot-11 Newell has averaged a team-high 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds a game while shooting 58.8% from the floor. He's also second on the team with 16 blocks and fourth with 17 steals. He's doing a bit of everything for the Bulldogs, just as he did a bit of everything in Athens during the six years he lived here when he was young.
Newell and his older brother, Jaden, a redshirt sophomore forward with the Bulldogs, spent part of their childhoods in Athens. Their grandmother, Jacqueline Mitchell, even worked in the President's Office and in Human Resources at UGA. Newell remembers swimming at Bishop Park and the Ramsey Center, playing soccer for a local club, and he remembers taking piano lessons.
Now, he's creating many more memories, from going to college with his brother, to helping the Bulldogs get their season off to a great start. During a recent Quick Chat, Newell talked about his adjustment to college, staying focused amid talk that he could be a high NBA draft pick, his first dunk and more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Now that your first semester at Georgia is done, has college been about what you expected?
Newell: I'd say so. I've been taking college classes since I was a sophomore in high school. I took dual-enrollment classes and I have my AA degree, so it's kind of what I expected, but they do a fantastic job making sure we have everything that we need on the academic side.
Frierson: That's impressive. Was there a plan when you started taking college classes so early?
Newell: There was definitely a plan. My mom really pushed me to get my AA degree. I did it for her.
Frierson: How do you handle having your name out there as a potential lottery pick in the next NBA draft? Is it distracting?
Newell: I'll just say that I'm just really focused on each day. Like, I'm just focusing on how can I maximize my day. And by doing that, it takes care of itself. So I'm just, I'm addicted to the process. I'm addicted to the grind, and I'm in God's hands.
Frierson: Talking with Jaden, I know one of the things he remembers from his time in Athens when he was young is going to UGA's staff-wide Thanksgiving lunches at Bolton Hall. What memories do you have from the years that you lived here?
Newell: I remember swimming for the Dolphins at Bishop Park. I remember swimming at the Ramsey Center. Nana used to always take me to the music school because I had piano lessons. I also played soccer for Athens United.
Frierson: Were you always the tallest person in your classes or did you have one or two big growth spurts?
Newell: I was always tall. Ever since I can remember, my shoulders were even with the top of their heads. I was always the tallest, but I played up (with older players) in most of my sports. So, I mean, it's just who I am. There was nothing awkward about it — I love who I am.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Newell: It was my eighth-grade year, going into the summer of my ninth-grade year, and I was outside. We had a hoop in the driveway and I was watching so many basketball videos on how to dunk, and I just was out there almost every day. First, I was trying to dunk a tennis ball, then a soccer ball, and then eventually I got to a basketball.
It was a great feeling. My whole family was out there. My dad was recording it, and everyone was celebrating.
Frierson: What's the best thing about going to college with your brother?
Newell: He's always holding me accountable. He's always there for me. If I need to talk to him about anything, he's always like a shoulder that can lay on. He's always there whenever I'm in a time of need and he really holds me accountable. That means a lot.
(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.
Players Mentioned
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