Decision Dossier: Breaking down Asa Newell's recruitment
Asa Newell wrapped up his multi-year visit itinerary a couple weeks back, when his second official to Georgia came to an end. Since then, the five-star forward has been locked in decision mode and mulling his options.
As we await word from Newell himself, Rivals has an in-depth look at the options that lie before the Montverde Academy star, who is yet to schedule a commitment date.
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THE SITUATION
Officially, Newell is considering Gonzaga, Texas, Georgia and Alabama but those programs don’t stand on anything resembling equal footing. He has not scheduled an announcement date but is thought to be nearing a decision, which could come at literally any moment.
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THE FRONT-RUNNER: GEORGIA
The Bulldogs were seen as the front-runner even before they received his final visit, so it’s hard to put anyone else in this slot as things stand. Newell was born in Athens and has a younger brother currently on UGA’s roster.
It’s his long-standing relationship with assistant coach Erik Pastrana that might be the biggest factor, however. Pastrana extended Newell’s first offer back in the spring of 2021, back when Pastrana was at Oklahoma State and Newell was an unknown commodity playing at a small school in the Florida panhandle. Pastrana offered and recruited Newell at his subsequent stop at the University of Florida and finally at UGA, where he helped the Bulldogs become finalists to land the five-star wing.
That’s all to say the ties between Newell and the Georgia staff run deep and will be difficult for anyone to break.
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THE SERIOUS THREAT: ALABAMA
Georgia may be seen as the leader, but Alabama is a real threat thanks to Nate Oats’ history of developing top-flight talent and the fact that Newell’s early August visit to Alabama seemed to have given the five-star forward plenty to think about.
Newell is captivated by what the Tide did to develop NBA draft picks Noah Clowney and Brandon Miller and could well choose Alabama on decision day. He’s certainly no lock to Georgia as things stand.
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THE DARK HORSE: GONZAGA
It’s a little difficult to imagine Newell picking Gonzaga and attending college 2,000 miles away from his Florida home, but the Zags felt confident they had a real shot as recently as a few weeks back.
It would be a surprise if Newell landed in Spokane, but the Bulldogs’ staff has spent some serious time and resources here and have not waved the white flag, even at the 11th hour.