University of Georgia Athletics
Newell’s Love For Hoops Keeps Growing
October 24, 2025 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jaden Newell has appeared in 10 games for the Georgia men's basketball team over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-8 forward, a former walk-on, hit a pair of free throws against Alabama A&M in 2023 and converted a three-point play against the same team last season.
In those 10 games, Newell has played a total of 15 minutes and scored 5 points. Newell's love for basketball isn't tied to his playing time. His love and passion for the game grow daily, as does his eagerness to give it everything he has for as long as he can. The sport has taken him a lot of places, given him incredible experiences, and he still genuinely enjoys putting in the work in the gym and weight room, pushing himself to be better today than he was the day before.
"I feel like basketball is almost like an outlet for me. It challenges me so much in my life that it causes me to grow as a person. That and my physical well-being are what drive me to keep on getting better, to keep on playing, to keep on attacking the day," said Newell, now a redshirt junior as the Bulldogs prepare to open their season on Nov. 3 against Bellarmine. Before that, they host an exhibition against Troy at Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday.
"I just love basketball."
Last season was special for Newell well beyond appearing in seven games, making his first field goal, and even making an appearance in the NCAA tournament. Newell's younger brother, Asa, was a star freshman on the 2024-25 squad. The brothers spent part of their childhood living in Athens, so playing for Georgia was a homecoming for them both.
"That whole experience was way better than even I expected. I was here for two years when I didn't have Asa here, and then there were days when I'd be working out and he'd walk in, and I'm like, that's my little brother," Newell said. "It was just an amazing experience, one I'll never take for granted and never forget."
Asa, a 6-10 forward, led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.9), and after being selected with the 23rd pick in the NBA Draft, he's now a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks. Jaden was with his brother in New York when Asa was drafted, and though he's had plenty of reasons to be a very proud big brother before that, seeing Asa up on the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with NBA commissioner Adam Silver was about as good as it gets.
"It didn't feel real, to be honest," he said. "Waking up in the morning, getting dressed and putting on my suit, and then we're sitting right beside the stage. I'm sitting there, and it just felt so surreal. To see Asa, to see all his hard work pay off, it was really special, and I couldn't be prouder.
"That feeling hasn't left me since then. Every day, I just think about how proud I am of my little brother."
Newell is enjoying every aspect of his college experience, including the downtime with his teammates. Newell and some of the guys spend a fair amount of time at the bowling alley, and he's working on getting better on the lanes just like he is on the court.
"I like bowling a lot," he said. "Every now and again, I'll meet one or two other guys and just work on our form."
When asked who the best bowler on the team is, Newell said he's in the mix: "When I'm hitting, you can't really compete with me. I can get strikes, back-to-back-to-back."
Newell wants to keep playing basketball as long as he can. While he keeps working hard every day to help the Bulldogs, he's also doing it to give himself a chance to play now and after college, wherever that might be.
"I feel like every year, I fall more in love with basketball," he said. "It helps so many different aspects of my life that it just causes me to want to do it even more, to want to even work out more and practice harder."
Staff Writer
Jaden Newell has appeared in 10 games for the Georgia men's basketball team over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-8 forward, a former walk-on, hit a pair of free throws against Alabama A&M in 2023 and converted a three-point play against the same team last season.
In those 10 games, Newell has played a total of 15 minutes and scored 5 points. Newell's love for basketball isn't tied to his playing time. His love and passion for the game grow daily, as does his eagerness to give it everything he has for as long as he can. The sport has taken him a lot of places, given him incredible experiences, and he still genuinely enjoys putting in the work in the gym and weight room, pushing himself to be better today than he was the day before.
"I feel like basketball is almost like an outlet for me. It challenges me so much in my life that it causes me to grow as a person. That and my physical well-being are what drive me to keep on getting better, to keep on playing, to keep on attacking the day," said Newell, now a redshirt junior as the Bulldogs prepare to open their season on Nov. 3 against Bellarmine. Before that, they host an exhibition against Troy at Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday.
"I just love basketball."
Last season was special for Newell well beyond appearing in seven games, making his first field goal, and even making an appearance in the NCAA tournament. Newell's younger brother, Asa, was a star freshman on the 2024-25 squad. The brothers spent part of their childhood living in Athens, so playing for Georgia was a homecoming for them both.
"That whole experience was way better than even I expected. I was here for two years when I didn't have Asa here, and then there were days when I'd be working out and he'd walk in, and I'm like, that's my little brother," Newell said. "It was just an amazing experience, one I'll never take for granted and never forget."
Asa, a 6-10 forward, led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.9), and after being selected with the 23rd pick in the NBA Draft, he's now a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks. Jaden was with his brother in New York when Asa was drafted, and though he's had plenty of reasons to be a very proud big brother before that, seeing Asa up on the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with NBA commissioner Adam Silver was about as good as it gets.
"It didn't feel real, to be honest," he said. "Waking up in the morning, getting dressed and putting on my suit, and then we're sitting right beside the stage. I'm sitting there, and it just felt so surreal. To see Asa, to see all his hard work pay off, it was really special, and I couldn't be prouder.
"That feeling hasn't left me since then. Every day, I just think about how proud I am of my little brother."
Newell is enjoying every aspect of his college experience, including the downtime with his teammates. Newell and some of the guys spend a fair amount of time at the bowling alley, and he's working on getting better on the lanes just like he is on the court.
"I like bowling a lot," he said. "Every now and again, I'll meet one or two other guys and just work on our form."
When asked who the best bowler on the team is, Newell said he's in the mix: "When I'm hitting, you can't really compete with me. I can get strikes, back-to-back-to-back."
Newell wants to keep playing basketball as long as he can. While he keeps working hard every day to help the Bulldogs, he's also doing it to give himself a chance to play now and after college, wherever that might be.
"I feel like every year, I fall more in love with basketball," he said. "It helps so many different aspects of my life that it just causes me to want to do it even more, to want to even work out more and practice harder."
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.
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